


wanda and vision's mixtape

by visionsofus



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), WandaVision (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers Family, Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Civil War Who?, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Secret Relationship, Soulmates, Vision (Marvel) Lives, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, Where they are all happy instead, usually with a happy ending, writing this to help myself and others cope with the pain that is wandavision
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:14:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29800041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/visionsofus/pseuds/visionsofus
Summary: A collection (hopefully) of one-shots and drabbles of Wanda and Vis being romantic af.If you're like me and have been absolutely decimated by WandaVision this is dedicated to you, please read and be happy in this fluffy alternate narrative.I'll be taking songs from my playlist ( https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iByx6VGuHvuje9JBAIgjY ) and writing short (or not so short) one-shots about my favourite pair. Requests will be taken, just let me know what you wanna see in the comments and I'll see what I can do.see ch1 notes for page of contents with themes/tropes for each part.
Relationships: Scarlet Witch/Vision, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Comments: 55
Kudos: 182





	1. if this was our last chance (i'd ask you to stay)

**Author's Note:**

> CONTENTS  
> #1 If this was our last chance (I'd ask you to stay) ~ yearning, fluff, developing relationship  
> #2 Darling my soul, it aches for yours ~ fluff, public dating, date night, getting caught by the team  
> #3 Rescue my heart (I'll drown without you) ~ yearning, lil bit of angst, tender goodbyes, post-CW  
> #4 We are tonight, we are forever ~ domestic fluff, date night at the compound, wholesome baking  
> #5 A lifetime of promises, a world of dreams ~ fluff and angst, happy reunion, post-CW in Edinburgh  
> #6 Somewhere only we know ~ fix it fic, everyone lives post Endgame, fluff  
> #7 Don't speak as I try to leave (I'll fall right back to you) ~ post-CW, developing relationship, hand holding, Wanda comforts Vis  
> #8 Our little corner of the universe ~ Pre-IW, fluff and a tiny bit of angst, domestic SV  
> #9 Just like you were never gone ~ Post-CW dating on the run, break up make up fic  
> #10 What will become of us if we dare to dream? ~ pre-CW developing relationship, dancing and yearning, jealousVision vs jealousWanda   
> #11 The only one for me is you ~ canon divergence CW, established relationship, soft and domestic at the compound  
> 
> 
> mixtape track #1 ~ Last Dance by Camera Can't Lie 
> 
> In which Civil War never happened and they all lived happily ever after. Wanda and Vision dance at one of Tony’s fancy galas and are forced to address the feelings that have become apparent to themselves, and the rest of the team. Yearning included with a happy resolution after a lil bit of angsty longing.

A fundraising gala wasn’t how Wanda had intended to spend her first free Friday night in over a month yet here she was, decked out in a red cocktail dress with her hair piled up in wavy curls atop her head.

Tony Stark had started by leading the team up to an actual _stage_ which had Wanda feeling a hot wave of embarrassment that had little to do with the glaring heat of the spotlights overhead. She tried to stamp down the frustration that built in her with every joke cracked by the billionaire before the podium. Wanda had to give it to him this time, Tony had warned them exactly what tonight would be: a gaggle of busybody networkers and the odd philanthropist come to see the celebrities that were the Avengers. It just so happened that there was plenty of wealth to be given in exchange for a snatch of conversation with a superhero. So, Wanda knew she could grumble all she liked about how much she hated how they glorified her ‘job’ and made her famous in a way she knew she had no right to be, but that wouldn’t change the fac that she had agreed to this event. For the charities they were supporting it would be worth it. In a rare moment of understanding, Tony had even invited her to assist Pepper Potts in the distribution of funds to the various Stark sponsored charities, to see the work firsthand. It was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. Not with her history.

Tony appeared to have reached the end of his speech and the rest of the team was thankfully let go to disperse around the large gala hall. Wanda took her time following Natasha off the stage, knowing that the moment she was enveloped into the waiting crowd the real trouble would begin. Already Steve was being mobbed making Wanda grateful that the public was still relatively fearful of her.

Natasha gave her a somewhat forced smile as she walked headfirst into the crowd, heading straight for Steve. A somewhat frantic scan of the crowd and Wanda had spotted Sam who had escape to the bar, talking with a child who looked far too young to be in such a place. She directed her feet there and did her best to weave throughout the glittering crowd.

A shoulder hit hers and Wanda spun, planting her feet the same way that she had been taught in training, barely stopping herself from falling over.

“I’m so sorry,” a woman’s voice said as Wanda’s assailant turned towards her.

“That’s alright,” Wanda replied trying to smile kindly despite the pain in her shoulder, “I should have been more careful about where I was walking.”

The middle-aged woman’s eyes widened when she saw who she had bumped into and she leant away slightly in way that indicated she clearly wanted to step back but didn’t want to be rude. “No trouble at all.”

Wanda decided it was best to leave.

By the time she made it to the bar the kid had been guided off by Pepper in her usual whirlwind of reddish hair. Sam was leaning against the bar and appeared to be pointedly ignoring the group of people who were ogling him from a few seats down.

“You have a fanclub,” Wanda said in a mock whisper as she sidled up to him.

“They aren’t all for me,” Sam grinned back and sure enough a few of the group had broken off and were heading her way.

Wanda resisted the urge to say _oh no_ and instead braced herself with a welcoming smile. Undeterred by being in the presence of two of the Avengers a youngish woman with choppy black hair extended a hand confidently.

“I’m Alisia,” she said, and Wanda returned the hand shake as warmly as she could. She hadn’t spent a whole lot of time out in public in a long time, was this how things were done?

“I’m Wanda.”

“We know!” The person standing beside Alisia was all gangly limbs but the voice that emerged was pitched with such child-like excitement it almost made Wanda smile for real.

Alisia gave her companion a sharp look. “We really admire your work.”

“Thank you…” Wanda said slowly looking at Sam for guidance. He smirked and tipped his glass to her. At least Sam had had a regular life before joining the Avengers. Wanda tried not to think about a lot of what had happened before she had joined the team, though she had attended school for a period of time, she was still seriously out of practice in making introductions.

“I’m Aron,” the tall person said extending their hand, somewhat shakily, as Alisia had done.

“Lovely to meet you,” Wanda replied, not liking how tightly her hand was held.

When neither made to make further conversation and were instead content to look at her in awe. Wanda quickly turned to the bottle of wine that Sam had before him pouring a glass for herself.

“We have a proposal for you,” said Aron abruptly breaking the awkward silence that appeared to have their friends not far off in a bit of a tizzy, judging from the groans of shame.

“A plan you could say,” Alisia added.

“To take down scientology.”

It was said with such absolute certainty that even Sam choked on his drink.

“We’ve seen what you can do, what happened in Sokovia, Lagos. You could annihilate their headquarters with a wave of your hand–”

Wanda didn’t bother to correct them on the scope of her powers at present, rather she was consumed by the heartbeat that was growing louder in her ears, the fact that her hand had begun to shake a little around the glass she held. Holding the glass tighter helped marginally in blocking the onslaught of images that threatened to overwhelm her. Pietro, Ultron, Novi Grad’s destruction, Lagos and every mistake she had made since.

Sam wasn’t laughing anymore.

“Hey guys it was really nice meeting you, but I don’t know if this is an appropriate conversation to have at a charity function,” Sam said gesturing to the room around them. Distantly Wanda registered that an orchestra had started playing somewhere. 

Alisia wasn’t swayed. “It’s just a simple question, we’ve even written up a report for you with all the headquarters listed if you’d like to take it. The destruction you can cause could be of real use to our group in dismantling–”

This was not going in the direction Wanda needed it to. She tried to work through the breathing exercises that Sam had taught her or go over the mentally quietening techniques he’d said helped PTSD patients. She was usually quite good at it but hadn’t ever had to use such coping mechanisms in a public scenario. Wanda set the glass down quickly because any second she was sure it was going to shatter under her grip.

“That’s enough,” Sam said at the exact time a familiar figure stepped up to them, shielding Wanda from the warm lights overhead.

“Wanda, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

The relief that spread through her bones was tangible. Wanda felt herself straighten, take a deep breath in through her mouth and out through her nose.

“I was waiting her for you,” she replied breathlessly with her first real smile of the night.

Vision’s arm came to a comforting rest around her back, his hand cupping her elbow as he nodded to the Sam and lead her away. They left in time for her to hear Sam questioning the kids about the rest of their friends who appeared to be taking advantage of the free flow bar despite being clearly underage.

“Thank you, you saved me,” Wanda murmured as they arced around the outside of the crowd which had begun to section off into little groups, many focused around one or two members of the team.

“I thought you might need rescuing,” Vision said back and tapped his forehead with his free hand, indicating the mind stone that was usually atop his forehead. Tony had made it perfectly clear that Vision could appear as himself tonight if he so wished, but as Vision had confided in her beforehand, he hadn’t wanted to make any of the donors uncomfortable. His sensitivity to others warmed her heart usually, but the way he hid himself didn’t feel right. If anyone ought to be hidden away out of sight of the wealthy donors it was her.

As though knowing what she was thinking, Vision pulled her closer and over to an empty table where a handful of belongings had been abandoned in favour of the networking happening out on the floor. He poured her a fresh glass of water and placed it in her hand.

“Thank you, if you hadn’t saved me, I don’t know what I would have done,” Wanda said and reached out to touch his hand.

“It’s alright.”

“Still, you shouldn’t need to,” Wanda said sheepishly, not quite knowing why she was still talking. Thank you had been simple enough, where were these excuses coming from?

“You know why I do it,” Vision said making out to hold her hand in his, but Wanda was quick to draw it back to the water glass before her.

She did know why he did it. Vision had made that _very_ clear two weeks ago when they had returned from a particularly difficult mission. Things hadn’t gone the way they were supposed to, and Wanda had dislocated her shoulder mid fight. She’d used her magic to push herself away from the battle, leaving Steve and Sam to take the brunt of the thugs they had discovered were attempting to reproduce old Stark military technology. All it had taken was that spark of blinding pain as her shoulder slipped free of its socket for Wanda’s powers to momentarily get out of control. She wasn’t sure why she’d done it, if it was even a conscious decision really. But she must have reached out to Vision. He arrived just in time to knock the crap out of one of the thugs who’d stepped towards her to finish the work.

Vision had fallen to his knees next to her and assessed her injury immediately, even as she struggled to speak past the pain and explain that she was fine, that Sam and Steve needed help. He had lifted her with endless care and taken her straight to the SUV that Natasha was waiting in. He’d even gotten terse with Nat about Wanda’s condition and the need to get back to the compound but waiting for the others naturally won out (Wanda had had to deal with his disapproving muttering as he tried to make her comfortable in the back of the car). When they were eventually joined by Sam and Steve the pain had gone down significantly but Vision was on edge. He insisted on holding her steady in the back of the car, and when they arrived back at the compound and called for a doctor, he had carried her from room to room until they reached the infirmary. Vision had been a constant presence as the doctor arrived and set about administering pain medication and setting her shoulder back into its joint.

After a brief argument, Wanda had been allowed back to her regular rooms where Vision had pestered her all evening with fresh ice packs, more pillows and a steaming bowl of chicken soup (Wanda had to remind him this was usually just for the flu but when he began to list its benefits post-exercion she gave in and ate it all).

It wasn’t until late that night as she drifted in and out of a hazy sleep, waking every now and then to the throbbing in her shoulder as the pain medication slowly wore off, did Wanda realise Vision was still beside her.

His head was slumped against his chest in the chair that usually sat in the corner of her room. His hand was holding hers and it tightened as she shifted into a sitting position. Registering that she was awake Vision had snapped upright and pulled his hand away.

“Sorry,” he’d said and seemed to be about to stand up, “I–”

“It’s fine,” Wanda said assuring enough that he sat down once more, “I want you to stay.”

His face softened in the near darkness and he pulled his chair closer. They whispered quietly to each other for three quarters of an hour, despite no chance of waking up the rest of the team (Wanda’s room being sound proofed when she’d moved in thanks to violent sleep terrors in her first few weeks). When her eyes finally started to droop again Vision helped her lie down and again, he hesitated. Their eyes locked and for a moment Wanda thought for sure that he’d kiss her. Instead, he had leant closer and pressed his forehead to hers for the shortest of moments. It wound up being infinitely more intimate than a peck on the cheek might have been. The breath that he sighed as he rose again was of relief and Wanda felt it then – the absolute fear he’d felt that morning when her distressed cry for help had reached him along some line of connection between them (owing to the stone, she assumed). She wondered if Vision had ever expected himself to be presented with the idea of loss.

Worse yet, Vision had unknowingly (or perhaps consciously) left their link open as he resumed his seat and took her hand again. Wanda had done her best to pretend to sleep as Vision had closed his eyes, no doubt his brain was moving as quick as ever behind fluttering eyelids. But it was difficult to fully relax as he fed the feelings along this line of connection Wanda hadn’t even realised, they’d had. She supposed it made sense, they hadn’t always needed to use words and got along in a way that surprised most of the team. Wanda was about to ask Vision to _feel_ more quietly so she could get some sleep when his eyes opened again and whatever he’d been researching was left to the back of his mind. Instead, she felt his gaze on her ‘sleeping’ face and the following wave of affection that flowed to her, warming her from top to bottom. Adoration, coloured by fear yes, but overwhelmingly loving.

They’d remained that way most of the night, Vision retreating into his mind for most of the time no doubt aware that Wanda spent two hours focusing on regulating her breaths so that when she eventually dropped off into oblivion, she was exhausted.

They hadn’t discussed that day since. Vision had been gone by morning and Wanda wasn’t entirely sure she hadn’t dreamt the whole thing up. Except for the fact that she felt the same way every time she saw him and recalled the warmth of that night. Then Vision had been sent south and she’d been on house arrest for a week to heal her shoulder properly. They hadn’t really had the opportunity to sit down like this.

So yes, Wanda knew why he did what he did. Why he was drawn to her like this. But she also couldn’t ignore the stone that hung between them and the connection it held to both their lives. How could she call the feelings that flowed through her real – what if it was all owing to the stupid stone in his head? That was the fear that had stuck with her in the two years since they’d started living together at the compound, she wasn’t about to start listening to her heart now.

So, she snatched her hand back, immediately regretting her action at the flash of emotion across Vision’s face and went back to her water. She convinced herself that his statement, _you know why I do it,_ didn’t require any further discussion for the moment.

To Wanda’s surprise the silence between them was broken by the small orchestra in one corner of the hall which had started up a mighty waltz. _Dancing?_ She mused to herself. Sure enough couples had begun to pair off across what was revealed to be a dance floor in the centre..

While Wanda’s eyes had been stuck on the floor, Vision’s had been fixed to her and she could see he was about to ask to dance. She knew she should say no, but also knew she wouldn’t be able to if it came down to it.

Her second saviour of the night was Steve Rogers who happened to walk past at exactly that moment. Wanda launched herself up and in a few short strides was at his side asking for a dance with a mocking curtsey, a dismayed Vision left behind her. _It has to be like this_ she told herself.

“Would you care to dance, Captain?” Steve looked taken aback at first but quickly joined in on the charade.

“Of course, milady,” and extended an elbow in a way that reminded Wanda that going dancing like this had probably been fairly common for Steve when he was a teenager.

They took up a position on the outer rim of the dance floor as Wanda tried to find her feet and recall what little she knew about waltzing from television and the one dance lesson Nat had teased out of her. Thankfully Steve was an excellent partner. She knew there were a whole host of jealous eyes on her as they spun around but Wanda paid them little attention. Her thoughts were so clearly occupied, and so obviously on Vision that Steve had to save her from stumbling a few times.

“It doesn’t have to be like this between you two, y’know?” Steve said giving her a comforting smile.

Wanda sighed hopelessly. “It does though.”

“I don’t know everything that is happening or if this helps, but you know that no one in the team would have an issue with it right?” 

“I know, thank you.” It was comforting coming from him, but Wanda knew it was the least of her concerns.

“So why do you avoid his advances?” Steve asked bluntly in a way she knew only Steve would. “Are his feelings not reciprocated?”

Wanda flushed. “No, they are reciprocated…”

“So, what’s the problem.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“It isn’t,” Steve said shrugging and Wanda thought she noticed a little edge to his voice. “If you both feel something strong, I can’t begin to imagine what could be keeping you from each other. At least nothing worth listening too.”

“Maybe,” Wanda said thoughtfully. She wanted to tell Steve about the connection they seemed to have, her fear that their connection was down to the stone and the stone alone. That she had imagined all the instances over the last year when her heart had fluttered or warmed at the sight of him. But she knew, deep down, that this wasn’t the heart of the fear. She was more afraid than she’d been in a long time. It wasn’t the fear that came with regular life-threatening missions or the fear she had felt crouched below her childhood bed, waiting for a bomb to finally detonate. It was the fear that she’d get attached and when she eventually lost Vision… that this time she wouldn’t climb out of the pit of grief.

“Don’t let fear be your compass,” Steve said squeezing her hand and pulling her to a stop by the outskirts of the dancers. He was so intuitive when it came to what she was worrying about that it was unnerving. He also knew precisely what to say. “Take it as someone who didn’t take the leap when he had the chance.”

Even if Wanda had wanted to protest this, she didn’t have the chance as Vision appeared yet again. His brow was furrowed, it furrowed deeper when he caught sight of Steve’s hand which she hadn’t realised she’d still been holding.

“May I take over?” Vision asked looking rather than at Steve, but directly at Wanda.

She nodded to Steve and he gave her hand one last squeeze. “Take the leap.” With that last reminder he disappeared off into the crowd. Without hesitation, Vision offered up his hand.

In moments Vision had her spinning around the floor, no longer hidden around the outside but edging closer to the centre of the dance floor. His movements were fluid, his hand a soft assurance cupping her back, his left hand guiding her through the dance. Without warning the orchestra picked up a livelier tune and the dance changed, some couples left the floor in surprise, but more were quick to replace them. The contemporary music filled the hall around them, but Wanda paid it little attention, her gaze was focused on Vision only.

After a particularly wonderful spin that had Wanda twirling back into Vision’s embrace, she felt she was finally able to form words.

“I didn’t know you could dance?”

“Until a few minutes ago I couldn’t,” Vision said honestly, a somewhat sheepish smile grace his face. “The only reason it took me so long to go after you was that I didn’t want to fumble on the dance floor. I was watching videos…” He trailed off in something like embarrassment.

“Well, I’m glad one of us knows what to do.”

“I–” She began.

“Wanda–” Vision started and they both looked at each other before laughing.

“Would you like to go first?” He offered.

“I just wanted to apologise for leaving you at the table, it was rude.”

“Not at all,” Vision said shaking his head fervently, “I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that. I’d hate to think that I’ve pressured you into anything, I’d never want to do that. If anything that I’ve said, or done, has made you uncomfortable, tonight or in the past–”

“No,” Wanda said, cutting him off more forcefully than she intended. She cleared her throat, her cheeks warming again. “You haven’t pressure me into anything, this is entirely me. I’ve been acting without thinking about what we both feel and what I want.”

Before she could elaborate on what she had just revealed they were whipped up in the music once more and she was spent spinning around again and again. She barely felt her feet moving across the shining marble of the floor and had to check that she wasn’t legitimately levitating. Pairs moved to make space for them as Vision led her through a simple but elegant routine of spinning, stepping and swaying. Wanda relished the feeling of his hand at her back and the closeness between them. The intimacy as clear despite the hundred eyes piercing into their back as they flew around the space in perfect synchronicity. With a final crescendo that left Vision to dip her gracefully, Wanda couldn’t help but laugh, her arms holding onto him tightly. When he pulled her up, her arms settled around his neck and they swayed for the final bars of the song before the audience began too applaud the orchestra. They were left staring at each other, almost nose to nose. Wanda noted that she was breathing hard, and it wasn’t entirely from the exertion of dancing. She was so focused on his eyes and the way they were looking at each other, the knowing and understanding passing between them. With a slight hesitation she reached up and pressed a hand to his cheek and felt the warmth there as he leaned into her caress.

There moment was interrupted by a loud wolf whistle and Wanda started to realise that they were somewhat the centre of attention and that the dancing had stopped for the night. The source of the wolf whistle was, unsurprisingly, Tony himself.

“We should get out the way,” Wanda said backing away. She saw the momentary fear on Vision’s face, or rather felt it crackle in the air around them and took the opportunity to extend her hand. It was a simple gesture, but she knew as he gently took her hand that it meant everything they hadn’t yet said. It was what Vision had been waiting for, the confirmation of his feelings and the return of hers and that was all they needed for the moment. Wanda squeezed his hand tighter as they stepped around the groups of people blocking their way out of the hall. Vision seemed somewhat confused about where they were going but realisation kicked in when Wanda pulled him behind the curtains that lead to the backstage area of the events hall. The heavy black material swung shut behind them, thoroughly insulating their voices from the outside world.

“Should we talk about this?” Vision said as Wanda dropped his hand and turned back to face him. He gestured between them at _this_ which summed up exactly how uncertain he still was.

“Why talk?” Wanda asked, tilting her head and stepping forward.

One hand caught the lapel of his blue suit, the other rested against his chest as Vision took her face in his hands with all the care in the world. His breath was a whisper against her face as he delicately kissed her cheek on one side, then the other. He pressed his warm lips to her forehead. Starting at her jaw next he pressed tender kisses all the way until he reached her mouth. Wanda tilted her head up and her eyes fluttered open. Vision had dropped his phased glamour and was his usual self, eyes glowing somewhat in the dark. The stone sat quietly at his forehead, but Wanda didn’t spare it a glance. Perhaps this connection was partly due to the stone, but that couldn’t be all it was. This feeling had grown over time, it had been slow and then suddenly quick until she was hurtling towards the cliff and falling before she knew it.

When Vision pressed his lips against hers, she couldn’t help the smile that broke across her face as she flung her arms around him. _Finally,_ her soul seemed to sigh. She was still afraid, but it was a different kind of fear, the fear that she might pass this up, this feeling that was threatening to make her heart beat out of her chest. That she might miss the opportunity to have a life with Vision was more frightening that dangerous missions or the shadow of death always at her back.

Vision drew back slightly, his forehead was still pressed to hers, but his hands had slid down to her waist. Without hesitation Wanda threw her arms around him and pulled him close. It was a moment before he returned the motion. The air crackled around the pair with something only they could sense, affection and longing hung about them that made Wanda press into his embrace further. There were no more words to say for the moment, Wanda had taken her leap and now she had him she was never going to let go.


	2. darling my soul, it aches for yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mixtape track #2 - Infinity by James Young 
> 
> In which Wanda and Vision sneak out of the compound and go on a date and just revel in the act of being together in public. The rest of the team doesn't know yet so they're working had on keeping everything a secret. When they arrive back Vision is so enamoured with Wanda that he trips the Compound alarms, waking everyone up with the fear of a break in at the front of their mind only to find the pair in a compromised position.

Wanda had lost track of time in the hours that she and Vision had been away from the compound. Around 5pm she and Vision had snuck out of the compound in one of the cars from the garage. Wanda had insisted on driving in order to preserve the secret of where she had planned their date. A forty-minute journey later and she was pulling into the busy car park of an annual attraction along the Hudson River: a month-long winter market.

Wanda undid her seat belt with a slow click and hesitantly looked over to Vision. They didn’t often come out into public like this, just the two of them, but she was hoping it would add a sense of normalcy that neither of them really had in their day to day lives. Plus, she’d brought a disposable camera with her and knew the photos would look gorgeous with the dark expanse of river behind them and the twinkle of fairy lights overhead.

“This is exciting, I’m surprised you managed to keep it a secret from me,” Vision said as Wanda pulled two tickets out of her pocket that she’d ordered in preparation for tonight. She grinned and waved the tickets before her in anticipation.

Vision made to get out of the car but paused and looked down at himself. He was dressed fairly regularly; Wanda had warned him that they’d be walking out in the cold, so he had on a navy sweater topped with a thick black wool coat. The only difference was that Vision was a synthezoid and his complexion was, well, blue and red and silver. Wanda’s heart dropped a little and she watched as Vision closed his eyes and, in a moment, assumed his human form.

“I’m sorry, Vis,” Wanda murmured, almost crushing the tickets in her hands in frustration. Here was the main reason they never went on dates in public – Vision always had to hide himself. 

“There’s no need to apologise,” Vision said catching her hand and pulling the two tickets away. “I’m just as much me as always.”

Wanda hummed contemplatively and tried to keep the disappointment from her face, she didn’t want to ruin tonight, not when they had finally managed to make enough excuses to get away unseen by the rest of the team.

“Here,” Vision said pulling her hand up to his forehead. “It’s just me.”

“Yes,” Wanda said brightening at the warmth under her hand and the feeling of his consciousness below that. Somewhere deeper the stone was there for sure but these days she was taking less and less notice of it.

“Now let’s go and have a wonderful time, I have no doubt you have all sorts planned.”

Wanda hadplanned a fair bit for their date and had been looking forward to participating in the many fair-like activities that occupied the bustling wharf. But, as it always seemed to end up, they instead spent their time at the quiet end content to listen to the sound of each other’s voices and take in the interesting space around them. The bustling market was made up of a collection of stalls featuring independent artists displaying a variety of artisanal foods, art work and other creative wares. Vision was a constant warmth at her side and Wanda realised how much she missed having him pressed to her like this. The constant physical connection between them was usually hidden back at the compound given that they hadn’t found the right moment to tell the rest of the team they were together. Now that they were out away from the watchful eyes of their housemates, they were free to just be themselves together.

As Wanda sipped on the warm cup of mulled wine Vision stuck to her side, one of her arms tucked into his as they walked along the creaking planks of the wharf.

“Have you thought more about telling the team about us yet?” Vision asked casually as Wanda hovered before a handmade jewellery store. They’d both decided to wait but Wanda knew it was beginning to wear both of them down. If being out on this date was telling her anything it was that they both wanted to be this way all the time, and it was getting more and more difficult to hide that.

“I know we said to wait,” Wanda ran her fingertips softly over the pendant of a necklace, not unlike the one that hung around her own neck. A deep red gem hung encrusted in brushed bronze from a silver chain. It was a beautiful piece, even if the price was hefty enough to make her stomach drop a little. “But I don’t know how long we can keep it up.”

“Let’s go over the pros and cons again,” Vision said as Wanda led the way to the next stall. Their list had been growing over the main conversations they’d had on this very topic.

“Well,” Wanda began squeezing a little closer to him as a breeze blew through the stands, making merchandise flutter atop unsteady tables. “Con: we don’t know how the others will react.”

“Based on watching them all react to Mr Stark’s announcement I can’t imagine they’ll disagree with us.”

“Hmm but Pepper and Tony have been together for years.”

“We’ll be together for years.”

Wanda smiled at the warm feeling blossoming in her chest and leant her head against his warm shoulder.

“Con: them knowing could change things between us.”

Neither of them had much to say to dispute this one as it was a common fear for both of them. Deep down both knew that there wouldn’t be backlash to the news of their romantic attachment except perhaps to the newness of it. But things would no doubt change once those they lived with learnt of their relationship.

Wanda was first to break the silence, “Pro: no more hiding.”

“Con: no more hiding,” Vision countered with a conspiratorial smirk. 

She tilted her head in question at him.

“Oh, come on you have to agree that it’s a little fun keeping this a secret, right?”

Wanda laughed and pushed his shoulder lightly. There was a level of entertainment to the sneaking around they’d had to keep up for the past months, but she couldn’t deny the relief that would come with letting the rest of the team in on their new status.

Before the conversation could be debated further Wanda caught sight of a bench pressed against the railing of the board walk, a backdrop of inky water and dark horizon line lay behind. It was the perfect opportunity for a photo.

“This way, come on,” Wanda said dragging Vision in the direction of the bench. On the way she snagged a kind looking man and asked if he wouldn’t mind taking photos of her partner and her. She relished in saying it out loud.

They posed together, sitting on the bench with arms around each other, Wanda’s head again resting against his shoulder. A few snaps of the disposable camera and the man handed it back to them before returning to his own party of friends.

“Why are you using this one instead of your phone?” Vision asked turning over the camera in his hands.

Wanda thought for a moment. “There’s convenience to instant photos but there’s an excitement to taking a photo of a memory and going to get the photos developed once the camera is full. It’s like saving bits of memory away for later.”

“And this is a memory that you want to save?” It wasn’t really a question, but he waited for her confirmation anyway. “Well, we’ll have to capture some more of this moment then.”

With that he lifted the camera once more and wound an arm around her shoulders. Wanda grinned and leaned in for the photo. They took one of themselves smiling beneath the twinkling lights and then another of Vision kissing her cheek. Though she wouldn’t see the photos for another month when she finished up the roll of camera, Wanda knew how she looked in them and knew that the light shining from her eyes had nothing to do with her powers and everything to do with who was beside her.

Two hours later the market shut for the night and the patrons were directed back to waiting cars. Wanda had had a couple of cups of mulled wine, so she let Vision handle the car – though she preferred driving it automatic, Vision had no trouble setting the Stark car to auto drive and letting the vehicle take them home. It left them free to talk more on the drive.

“We probably should tell them sooner than later,” Vision murmured as he rubbed a gentle thumb over the back of Wanda’s hand.

“I know,” she said gazing at the road ahead of them.

“But we should wait a few more weeks,” Vision said, “I don’t want to share us just yet.”

Wanda smiled and leant over to kiss him tenderly. It was exactly what she felt. There was a distinct special element to their relationship that was being protected by their secrecy and she knew that they’d be under scrutiny the moment the rest of the team were in on it. The more selfish part of her, that she didn’t take a lot of joy in acknowledging, knew that she also didn’t want to have to share Vision. It took a sharp mental reminder every now and then to not be possessive, but the plain truth was that no one at the compound knew Vision like she did, and no one else came close to understanding her the way he did. It was no surprise that their feelings had transformed from platonic affection to romantic. Not with their nearly instantaneous bond and the way it had only been strengthened by a year and a half of living with each other. Wanda’s body and mind and very soul called out for Vision in a way she wasn’t sure she had believed was possible, certainly not since she was very, very young and still believed in happy endings.

“ _You have reached your destination, please present for identification_ ,” said the mechanical voice of the car as it rolled to a stop before the gates to the Avengers compound. The drive back had been far too quick for Wanda’s liking, but nonetheless she reluctantly displayed her key card to the machine outside her window.

The car had deposited them on the steps of the compound’s residential building that housed the two of them and the rest of the team who lived onsite. Wanda’s hand remained held tightly by Vision as he directed the car to take itself back to the garage and the vehicle trundled off.

“It’s too soon,” Wanda said swinging their entwined hands between them as they turned to the front door.

“Before we go in, I have something for you,” Vision said. 

Wanda watched in surprise as he fished around in his coat pocket before eventually presenting her with a small jewellery box. She took it gently in her hands and gasped as the box flipped open to reveal the pendant that she had been admiring at the young jeweller’s store back at the pier.

“How–”

“I saw you looking at it and I know how much your necklace means to you,” Vision said lifting the gift out of its box and Wanda turned around slightly, still shocked, as he placed it to rest around her neck. “I thought you could wear it on missions or when you’re worried about losing the Sokovian one.”

“Vis,” Wanda murmured, fingers running over the fine jewellery. It was funny that this piece, which cost far more than her original necklace, could act as a replacement for the cheap pendant that had come with her from Sokovia. His sentiments were sweet, but she was just as unlikely to want to part with it as the original, now that Vision had gifted it to her. 

“Beautiful,” Vision replied, kissing Wanda’s forehead and she knew that he wasn’t talking about the necklace.

A light flicked on a few floors above and they both froze, breaths held, in moments it had gone off again. Wanda let loose a relieved breath and started to laugh.

“What’s so funny,” Vision asked grinning with her as, instead of opening the front door he phased the two of them through.

“Oh, Vis it’s just so silly, all of this,” Wanda said wiping tears from her eyes as she shook with laughter. “Here we are, in a superhero base hiding around corners like scared teenagers, we’re even sneaking in after midnight like we’ve missed our curfew.” She dissolved into hushed laughter again as they made it into the entrance hall.

“Hush, hush,” Vision said as he pulled her down the hall but was trying not to laugh himself, his eyes gleaming in the unlit entry.

Wanda kept laughing despite his hurried attempts to stay quiet and instead pulled him against the wall of the corridor.

“What are you–”

“Shush.”

Wanda kissed him as she’d wanted to all night. Starting softly, he pulled her closer as the kiss deepened. One of Vision’s hands strayed up to brush against the base of her throat, brushing her hair aside. A shiver ran down her spine that was entirely involuntary and nothing to do with the cold. The feeling never got old, and it always left her breathless for more.

“Who’s there?” Came a cry from the end of the hall, leading to the kitchen.

Their heads parted in surprise and they turned towards the voice, squinting as the lights flickered to life overhead.

Wanda’s was still somewhat pressed to the wall and one of Vision’s arms was holding her waist loosely and it took a moment for her to process what was happening.

They’d been caught.

A small crowd had gathered at the end of the corridor, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Rhodey, Clint and Natasha were looking on with a mixture of surprise and amusement. All were in a varying levels of disarray, half clothed in pyjamas and hair tousled from sleep. Bare feet slapped on the stairs as Peter Parker ran down, tugging a sweater over his head and almost tumbling the last few steps.

“Woah what’s going on, I heard the alarms were going off and–” Peter broke off mid-sentence when he caught sight of the scene before him.

“I did not wake up for this shit,” Natasha said turning tail and heading back upstairs before anything more could happen, but Wanda was relieved to see a smile on her face.

“And here I thought it was the teenager causing all the commotion,” Sam chuckled stepping in to join the scene from the kitchen. He nursed a warm mug of something and the dressing gown hanging loosely around his shoulders was cinched at the waist.

“Well, this is unexpected…” Bruce trailed off rubbing at the back of his neck. “Sorry for disturbing you.”

This was perhaps the most awkward thing that anyone had said so far. Wanda didn’t really know where to look but was conscious of Vision taking a step back as they submitted to the mixed emotions of their friends.

“I called it, Cap owes me 100 bucks,” Tony said crossing his arms before him and turning to Steve who still was struggling to process what was before him. “Pay up.”

Steve didn’t appear to be listening properly and was mumbling, “I never knew. How did I never know? I trained them?”

“Well, this has been sufficiently uncomfortable,” Rhodey said rubbing at his forehead in a way that made it clear he was looking for any way out of this situation. “I guess everyone back to bed. False alarm?”

“Yeah, next time please use the door normally and don’t set off half the alarms in the building. Friday thought someone had broken in.”

“That was my fault, it won’t happen again,” Vision saw owning up to the phasing incident earlier.

“Sure, sure,” Tony said waving his hand and turning to go back upstairs, pushing Peter in front of him.

“But Mr Stark,” Peter whispered, struggling to get another look at Wanda and Vision “what’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

The others followed suit, either too tired or baffled to deal with the present situation. They all retreated back upstairs until only Sam was left sipping at his tea with a mixture of amusement and something akin to disbelief.

“Uh… congrats?” Sam grinned tipping his cup to them.

“Yep, yep ok good night, Sam,” Wanda said waving him on his way as he turned back to the kitchen.

She slumped against the wall, glad to be alone with Vision again. He hadn’t moved since pulling away from her and was staring at the ground.

“You ok?” She reached a hand out to his shoulder cautiously. This definitely wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

“Of all the ways I thought they would react, the probabilities I ran, that was certainly not one of them.”

This time it was Vision who broke out laughing and soon they were both close to tears of laughter once more. Wanda clutched at her stomach and hung off Vision’s arm as they headed upstairs together. The delivery certainly hadn’t been ideal, but it was one worry out of the way, one less complication standing between them. Wanda put an arm out to stop Vision as they reached the top of the stairs which lead to the communal living room and various bedroom suites.

As though thinking the same thing, Vision stopped and held his hand out. She didn’t hesitate as she grabbed his and pulled him the rest of the way, their hands intertwined in a way that had Wanda thinking she’d never need to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short and sweet one that's been going round my head for a bit. Love the idea of keeping their relationship to themselves but also wanted to see how the team might react. 
> 
> Let me know what you think or if there's any trope/prompt you'd like to see in the future.
> 
> See more songs from this playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iByx6VGuHvuje9JBAIgjY


	3. rescue my heart (I'll drown without you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mixtape track #3 - Rescue my heart Liz Longley 
> 
> In which Vision arrives to help break the Cap’s team out of Raft prison post-Civil War. Wanda recalls fond memories of the compound and comes to terms with the idea of living on the run. 
> 
> Cw: depiction of imprisonment.

The hum of electricity was the only warning that Wanda Maximoff had before fluorescent white lights impaired her vision. For 15 seconds she was effectively blind as her eyes frantically tried to adjust to the harsh lighting. That was the 9th time she had been abruptly awoken in such a way and the panic never lessened.

Her day at Raft prison started the same as every morning that had preceded it, the door to her cage was opened and she was led to the bathroom to freshen up before being returned for a meagre breakfast. Sometimes she would walk past the rest of the team, they all looked just as battered and exhausted as she felt. 

Wanda wasn’t let out of her straitjacket for breakfast and was spoon fed whatever mush they deemed nutritious enough for the day from a metal tray. It was a humiliating experience. It was made worse by the drugs they mixed into her meal each morning that were so strong she would fall asleep an hour later and often not be conscious again until the following morning. She supposed it was their way of trying to keep her under control, little did they know that it was only serving to make her angrier, more dangerous. Walking past her bruised teammates each morning filled her with rage, sitting and being spoon fed by a guard filled her with rage, but underlying it all was a sense of hopelessness, an acknowledgement that maybe she deserved to be in here. Clint had been wrong, getting up off her ass hadn’t fixed anything.

Each morning after eating her vibranium glass door was locked once more and Wanda lied back on the stiff bed that took up most of the space in her cell as she waited for the sedatives to kick in.

In the few hours she’d been conscious in the last week she’d mostly spent her time thinking. Wanda was sure that Steve had to have some sort of plan – she knew that he hadn’t been at the compound when they’d all been taken in – so she didn’t trouble herself with obsessing over a plan to get out. That would just make her panic and she didn’t want to let her powers get out of control, not in such an enclosed space as this. In the meantime, she had decided to bide her time and wait for a sign from Steve.

Instead, her thoughts were consumed with what had happened before her imprisonment. Some of the memories were painful but overall, her time at the compound had been pleasant. She was living in a better space than she had most of her life and while the empty place of her twin brother would never be filled… she was starting to heal. Working more on controlling her powers had been by far the best part of her year. The training made her feel strong, it made her want to protect people. Vision had helped a lot with training, he was one of the only ones who would last long in a fight against her, and their sparring practice had always been a great workout. Not for the first time in the last ten days did she cast her mind back to the last time they had fought.

_"Don't go easy on me, Vis," Wanda said raising her hands before her and stepping into a defensive stance._

_"If I had been 'going easy on you' Captain Rogers wouldn't have made us fight outside this time," Vision replied his cape fluttering in a non-existent breeze. He was right, the last time they had fought in one of the training rooms the roof had almost caved in. So, they had been forced to relocate outside where the only breakables were themselves._

_"Physical combat first?" Wanda suggested. "No magic tricks."_

_"I am not sure that 'magic tricks' is the most suitable-" Vision began waving a hand lightly between them._

_"Too slow,” she cut in, lunging forward and grabbing Vision’s arm, kicking his leg out from beneath him. Her leg swung right through him as he phased without hesitation._

_Hand to hand combat without the fire power of their respective powers had always been their weak point in training, they had both come to rely so heavily on the magic of the stone that was so intrinsic to both their identities that it was difficult to_ not _depend on it_. _Nonetheless, they needed to be ready for a situation where close quarter combat meant explosive power wasn’t an option._

_Wanda took Vision’s next oppening to try and unbalance his other leg, but he was prepared for the kick this time and managed to dodge. They sparred for what felt like half an hour but in reality was only a few minutes, neither gaining any traction aside form a few hits to the ribs each._

_In a desperate attempt to land a blow Wanda side-stepped Vision’s throw, ran for the wall at her back, kicked off it with one well-placed foot (aided in force by a little bit of her power) and launched herself at Vision. She would have landed a significant hit in the chest if he hadn’t turned and caught her just at that moment._

_Wanda slammed into him and Vision was left supporting her effortlessly with one hand around her waist, she in turn pressed a steadying hand against his shoulder, immediately aware of how close they were. She was breathing heavily; her hair likely a mess about her face from where it had come loose from the ponytail she had tried to gather it up in. Vision’s eyes were focused wholly on her own, wide and darting across her face and for a moment she was tempted to reach into his mind and feel what was running through it. His mind was sometimes… difficult to navigate, even when he did let her in to communicate._

_Vision slowly lowered her to the ground._

_“I—” he began but didn’t have the chance to continue because Wanda had pressed her hands against his chest and sent an almighty wave of psionic energy through her palms. Before Vision could continue, he was launched into the air, flipping once before using his own powers to stop himself in mid-air. “I thought you said physical combat?” His brow was furrowed at her trick, but there was something shadowing his eyes beyond that and it made Wanda want to tease him more._

_“Oops,” she said and launched herself at him again as he reached the ground. Vision hadn’t expected the fight to continue so Wanda managed to dive cleanly for his waist, hitting his chest with all the force thrown behind her shoulder in an attempt to take him down. It wasn’t a pretty or graceful move, but she’d thought she’d chosen the right moment to catch him sufficiently off guard. He twisted them in mid-air, and they fell to the ground together, his powers softening their landing._

_“This is supposed to be a fight, Vis,” Wanda said content to fold her arms in mock disapproval, gazing up at him._

_“I know,” he said, and they were close enough she could feel his breath flutter against her face from where he was, holding himself above her. “I’m just using the same cheat techniques of seduction that you’ve been using on me.”_

_A laugh bubbled up despite the embarrassment that was making her cheeks flush. Perhaps Wanda had teased him too much?_

_“Is it really cheating if it works?” Wanda asked deciding to push him that little bit further. She lifted one hand to his chin and trailer a single finger down his throat, she could’ve sworn his eyes started to glow a little. He lowered himself a little more until their noses were brushing and right when he closed his eyes she acted._

_Taking advantage of his surprised state she lifted her leg and kneed him squarely in his chest, sending forth a second pulse of power. Yet again he flew away, this time so distracted that he fully hit the wall behind them, causing cracks to cobweb out through the concrete._

_“That,” Vision said as he floated to the ground, rubbing at the back of his neck and rolling his shoulders, “was not fair.”_

_“Nothing’s fair in love and war.” Wanda shrugged pleasantly, but instinctively reached out to see if hitting the wall had caused any real pain._

_“Don’t worry, it’ll take more than a concrete wall to hurt me.”_

_“Just checking.”_

_“I told you two to train, not flirt and break the walls,” a clearly grumpy Steve said as he made his way out into the courtyard. A few minutes too late the pair realised that they’d had a small audience looking on from within the compound._

_“I have_ no idea _what you’re talk about,” Wanda said crossing her arms and walking over to make her way back inside._

_“Yes Captain, what exactly_ do _you mean?” Vision asked, joining in on her denial as the pair went inside._

_“Break another wall and you won’t be able to fight each other anymore,” he warned but was smiling in a way that told Wanda he was glad for their progress in training._

_“Yeah, but what happens when they can’t take their tension out on each other through training?” Sam whispered to Natasha in a way that made it clear he intended everyone else to hear._

Wanda let herself come back to the unfortunate reality she was now confined to live in. She had been replaying similar memories for the last ten days, Vision was a common feature of the happy memories, but the rest of the team also filled her thoughts. It was something to keep the worse thoughts at bay and her pent-up power in check.

The loud clank of the prison gates surrounding her cage as the guards changed watch startled Wanda slightly. There was always noise here and it had been getting on her nerves for approximately eight and a half days now. Back at the compound her room was soundproof so she could enjoy silence when she needed. It had made it easier to focus on honing her powers and reaching out with her mind to try and feel the other people at the compound. That's not to say that her concentration wasn't often broken by Vision floating through her bedroom wall, usually stopping by for a profound chat about humanity or to ask her to explain human quirks he couldn't find sufficient answers to online.

Wanda missed him. As she lay on the bed waiting to be taken to the bathroom before breakfast, she closed her eyes and let her mind reach out. The noise and light made it difficult to retain focus as she reached further through the walls. She recognised the rest of her teammates minds and brushed over the guard’s minds, not wishing to delve too deep into their thoughts. The effort it took almost made her loose her breath and she let the power go. Telepathy was still a lot easier at closer proximity.

She was about to stand up and try and get a guard’s attention to let her out to the bathroom when she felt her hands begin to tingle within the straitjacket. Something was about to happen. Wanda did her best to get her hair out of her face with her hands bound. Her instincts were all she had to rely on as she turned slowly in a circle within the cage, waiting.

Abruptly, soldiers began yelling and hands flew to their weapons. Half a dozen of the black clad guards ran to her cage, circling around her and assuming a defensive position with their guns raised at the various doors leading out of her enclosure.

"Something wrong?" Wanda asked innocently.

To no surprise, her guards didn’t respond.

Wanda felt her powers rising faintly beneath her skin, calling out to an unknown force.

“Who’s there?” One guard to her left barked gruffly. Her call was answered a moment later as one of the heavy, steel doors was blown to bits. A pipe burst from above and dust fell from the trembling ceiling. A powerful steel beam flew out and struck two of the guards in front of her and they flew across the room. Wanda smiled for the first time in 9 days when she saw the figure that emerged from the dust and rubble.

Two guards made out for Vision, their guns firing but he phased easily avoiding the bullets and grabbed one guard in each hand and threw them to the side. Wanda noted how, despite everything, Vision didn’t cause any unnecessary harm to the people themselves and used only enough force to incapacitate them.

Wanda let her own power grow, feeling the straitjacket begin to strain as the powerful red mist from her hands spread and tore at her restraints. Feeling her power well up like a damn about to break she let out a yell as she tore her arms free of their constraints. The power that exploded forth shattered the cage surrounding her, forcing the remaining guards to dive in order to avoid the flying shards. Two of them made a move to get her but she raised her hands and subdued them, sending them to the ground unconscious as her eyes burned a deep red.

Alarms were blaring now, and the lights appeared to be flickering overhead but no more guards came from the behind the destroyed doors.

Wanda turned in a full circle, expecting another fight but the only one still standing was Vision. He reached for her just as her legs, weakened from the sudden burst of power after 10 days dormant, made to give out from under her.

“Vis,” she said stretching her arm towards him as he stopped her from falling.

“Wanda,” he murmured, the relief emanating from him was clear. He gathered her up into his arms and hefted her against his chest gently, an arm tucked behind her back and one under her knees. "We must go."

“But the others–”she began as Vision rose up from the ground.

“Captain Rogers will see to getting them out safely,” Vision said and shot for the ceiling of the prison, the stone in his head sending a powerful beam through the roof and carving them out an escape route. 

Wanda reached out with her hands and used her power to stop any of the rubble hitting them on the way out. The moment they hit the crisp air outside Wanda let loose a cry of relief. She was hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion. It was likely due to the lack of food and sunlight but perhaps it was also because she finally felt safe for the first time in 9 days. She reached up and wound her arms around Vision's neck, pulling herself into his chest to avoid the harsh wind that was whipping the ocean below into a turmoil.

Wanda pressed one of her palms against Vision and tried to communicate her gratitude. As he flew her away from the prison, she took solace in the stability of his power, the power they both shared.

By the time Vision arrived at the coordinates Captain Rogers had directed him to, Wanda was fast asleep. The safe house was a quaint little thing, far less grand than what any of them had grown accustomed to at the compound. But it was well off the beaten track, down a winding driveway and hidden in a copse of dense trees. Still, Vision remained on guard.

The house was two stories high and distinctly cubic in appearance. Its exterior was simple and seemed more built for durability than aesthetic.

As Vision's feet reached the dewy ground Wanda stirred in his arms.

“Where are we?” She asked sleepily, slowly coming to her senses.

“Somewhere safe,” Vision said as he approached what appeared to be the door of the house. It was a small grey rectangle that blended in with fairly well with the rest of the unattractive building.

“It's ugly,” Wanda noted turning her head to look at the looming grey building.

“We can’t really afford to be picky,” Vision said in amusement before stopping abruptly as the front door opened.

“About damn time,” Natasha Romanov said smiling grimly at the pair who seemed so out of place against the backdrop of the thick forest. "You'd better get inside."

“Natasha,” Vision said nodding his greeting, and the unspoken truce now struck between them, as he passed her in the doorway.

“Vision,” Romanov returned the greeting. “How are you feeling Wanda?”

“I'm tired even though I've been sedated for the last nine days, I'm not hungry even though I haven't eaten a real meal in two weeks, and I feel like being locked in a straitjacket has done terrible things to my joints,” Wanda said looking down at her arms.

“We’ll see to it that you get fixed up,” Natasha said and began leading them through the rest of the house. “It’s not much but it’s better than nothing and we should be able to lay low for a while.”

Each room was simple with the bare minimum incorporated into the cubic design. On the ground floor they walked through a kitchen where a small table was cramped by five chairs, and beyond it was a living room occupied by what looked like a musty couch and a collection of mismatched pillows.

“There's a couple of bedrooms upstairs, I'll go get a first aid kit and see if we can get you hooked up to an IV,” Natasha said gesturing to the staircase they had arrived at and darting off down another corridor.

"You can put me down now," Wanda said looking up at Vision.

"We're almost there now, I might as well carry you the rest of the way," Vision said taking the stairs two at a time. When they reached the top, he ducked through the first doorway they found and into a small bedroom. There was a single bed in the corner, a chair opposite it and a window facing out over the forest they had come in from. Vision looked curiously at the window, marvelling at the way it had been created so that from the outside it appeared there were no windows but those inside still had the ability to monitor their surroundings. The house was effectively a bunker and seemed to be built to withstand a small attack, this helped put him a little more at ease.

Vision set Wanda down on the bed and she sagged against the pillows.

"You shouldn’t have come for me," Wanda said swallowing thickly as she turned on her side so she could see Vision properly as he stood in front of the window.

"I'm only sorry that I didn't come sooner," he said turning to face her. "I’m sorry I let you go. I should have stopped them from taking you."

"No you shouldn't have, you did the right thing," Wanda insisted, doing her best to remain seated despite every bone in her body asking for rest. "Vis you signed the Sokovia Accords, at the moment we're fugitives and if they find us with you…” she trailed off and shivered at the thought of him being caught. 

"That is a risk I am willing to take," Vision said firmly, his eyes locked on Wanda's, their gaze only breaking when Natasha entered the room with two IV bags.

"I've never actually hooked someone up to one of these before," Natasha said turning the bag over in her hand as though expecting to find instructions.

"I can do it," Vision said taking them from her.

"Have you done this before?" Wanda asked hesitantly.

"No," Vision replied hooking the IV bag up to a tube and preparing a needle from the first aid kit, "but I understand how it has done and I’ve read about it online."

"Better you than me I suppose,” Natasha asked taking the seat opposite the bed.

"Just don't miss my vein," Wanda grumbled and stretched her bare arm out for Vision.

"What happened while we were locked up?" She asked, wincing slightly as Vision slid the needle into her arm.

Natasha began to describe the events of the last few days. How Tony had broken into the Raft and got information from Sam about Steve and Bucky's location and subsequently got himself beaten to a pulp. Just as Natasha finished updating her there was the sound of boots on the stairs.

"It's ok, it's just the others," Natasha assured them when Wanda and Vision both startled at the sound.

"Well, isn't this a nifty little safe house that you've got going here?" Sam said as he poked his head around the doorframe and stepped into the small room. "Wanda, Vision, thanks for leaving the rest of us behind."

"Enough Sam, without Vision things wouldn't have gone over as smoothly," Steve said clapping the Falcon on the shoulder. Steve was the only other one to enter the room and looked as though he’d spent a few days in Raft with them. His left eyebrow was split along the side and he was sporting bruises and cuts that were clearly healing more quickly than the average human but still looked painful.

"Where's Clint and Scott?" Vision asked, finishing with Wanda's drip and hanging the bag from the metal frame that Natasha had also brought up to allow the fluids to drip down.

"They decided to stay," Steve said, eliciting a sound of surprise from Natasha, "seems that they have been negotiating with the Secretary of State who is willing to allow them to live with their families under house arrest."

"That makes sense," Natasha said nodding thoughtfully. "What about you?"

"I'm not going to serve time for something that wasn't wrong in the first place," Sam said shrugging and leaning against the wall behind him.

"In the meantime, we need a plan," Steve said folding his arms and looking at the small group gathered in the room that was far too cramped for comfort. 

"Hmm not sure I feel so good about Vision, still," Sam said shrugging. "Up until last week we were on very different sides." 

"I am not here as an Avenger on 'Mr. Stark's side'," Vision said stepping up to Sam and looking him directly in the eyes. "Remember I helped get you out of that prison."

"Come on now guys, that’s enough." Steve said putting a hand on each of their shoulders and pushing them apart. "We have bigger problems."

"What could be bigger than being fugitives?" Wanda asked, meaning it to sound more light-hearted than it ended up coming out. 

"For now, we’re safe and that’s what matters, this house seems good enough to lie low until we figure out our next steps,” Natasha said shrugging, looking around at the grey, boxy room.

"Year that won’t be happening, the house is Stark's," Steve said rocking back on his heels, he’d clearly been waiting for the right time to break the news to them.

"What?" Natasha and Wanda exclaimed at the same time.

"Tony knows about this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"He's been acquiring safe houses like this for a couple of years now," Steve replied.

"Talk about paranoia," Wanda muttered.

"You think Tony knows we are here?" Natasha asked standing up to join Vision who had returned to his post, looking out the window.

"I do not believe that Mr Stark's attention is turned in your direction for the time being," Vision spoke up. "But it is possible that this is not the best place for you at the moment."

"Don't worry, we'll be ok staying here for the night but tomorrow you need to move out," Steve said gesturing to Wanda, Sam and Natasha. "You're on the run now, that means avoiding as many people as you can. At the moment we don't have wanted posters plastered across the media, but you can be sure as soon as the press gets word of our escape Ross is going to have them broadcasting everywhere to try and recover us."

"What about me?" Vision asked turning to face Steve.

"You're going back to base, tonight," Steve said firmly.

"I will not leave," Vision replied just as surely.

"Yes, you will, Vis," Wanda said adjusting how she was sitting on the bed. It seemed that already the drip was helping with her energy levels and Vision could see some of the colour returning to her face.

"At the moment, no one has any idea that you have left the compound and it's better if it stays that way," Steve said and gestured to the group before him, "the rest of us are outlaws, but you still have a duty to Tony and the Sokovia Accords."

"I will not leave," Vision repeated.

"He's right Vis," Wanda began reaching for his arm and gripping it tightly.

"I _know_ logically that I have to leave but I don't _want_ to." Vision reluctantly corrected himself gazing intensely at Wanda.

"You _have_ to." She whispered.

The room was quiet for a moment as Vision's mind processed things at a million miles a second. Perhaps he would be of more help from the compound where he was in the know regarding all information surrounding the fugitives before him. Perhaps, as painful as the idea was to him, the best way to keep Wanda from harm would be from a distance.

"Very well,” he sighed, and Wanda's lips turned up in a small, soft smile.

"Good," Steve said folding his arms. "We leave in the morning, we'll go the same way until we reach the border and then I'll split from the group to go for Bucky while you guys continue on. From now on we're going to be doing a lot of running."

"Thank goodness, being locked up in a cage for the last 9 days was deadly boring,” Wanda said cynically.

"Damn Cap," Sam said his sigh tainted with disbelief. "I don’t wanna be the one to say it, but what’s our end goal here?"

"At the moment, stay alive and free. This might be a road that doesn't end for a while, if ever." Steve turned to leave the room. "There's some food in the kitchen downstairs but for the time being you should all get some rest. Vision thank you for your help, it was appreciated." He clapped Vision on the shoulder as he left the room, his footsteps thudding down the stairs again.

"Alright Wilson, let’s get you some food and ice for that nasty bruise," Natasha said guiding Sam from the room and closing the door behind her. Vision was quiet for a moment as he turned back to the window trying to quiet the million and one thoughts running through his head. He was so distracted it took Wanda calling his name twice for him to register.

"Yes sorry."

"I asked if you’re alright?"

"I should be the one asking that," Vision said shaking his head and turning to sit on the edge of Wanda's bed.

"That doesn't mean I can't ask you too," she said curling her legs up beneath her and gazing at him intently.

"I don't want to leave… but I have already caused Mr. Stark more than enough trouble and I fear that if I remain with you, I will only put you at risk."

"What happened back in Germany wasn't your fault Vis, I'm sure Rhodey doesn't blame you," Wanda said reaching out to squeeze his arm and the touch alone helped clear his mind. 

"I'll see you again won't I?" Vision asked turning his head towards Wanda. "I have been rather….lonely the last nine days, three hours and 47 minutes."

Wanda smiled and rolled her eyes. "Of course you'll see me again, silly."

"I do not believe I was asking a silly question."

"I promise you'll see me again," Wanda said, serious this time, putting one hand over his and Vision sensed the power beneath her touch and the emotion coursing through her palm. "I'll find a way to communicate with you but for now you have to pretend that you never saw us."

Vision nodded silently and rose, the feeling of Wanda's touch still lingering on the back of his hand.

"Go,” she whispered settling back against the wall again.

Vision didn't see any point in saying goodbye, not when he was so sure that they would be seeing each other again soon. Instead, he settled for something simpler, "Until our next meeting." Before he could lose his nerve, he leant down and brushed his lips against her forehead. Wanda’s breath caught as he did but when he drew back her face was lit with a soft, gentle smile. She watched on in dismay as Vision straightened up, stepped forward, and with a final look at her phased through the wall and out into the world beyond. Wanda turned her eyes to the ceiling waiting for her exhaustion to consume her as Vision sped away, not trusting himself to leave quietly if he hesitated any longer.

They’d see each other again, he was certain of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all doing ok post final episode of Wanda Vision. It totally left me destroyed but I feel happy with the note it left on and it came at a time when I really needed it. Hope you're all staying well and safe out there.


	4. we are tonight, we are forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mixtape track #4 - Light Me Up by Ingrid Michaelson 
> 
> Wanda and Vision spend a domestic evening together free from the rest of the team.

An evening in was a rare thing when you were an Avenger. Wanda had become increasingly aware of the fact after two years living, training and fighting with the team she had come to know as family. Which meant she was shocked to find that, after a month of traveling from job to job out West with Nat and Sam, she had a whole weekend to relax. No missions, Steve had promised, and no meetings either.

This information had been conveyed through her personal tablet which was conveniently linked with the group calendar that the whole team subscribed to. It was almost comical to think how lost they’d be without the updates provided by the compound’s AI that kept them all running on time and aware of each other’s commitments. The current date sat open on the screen and Wanda relished in her deep mauve calendar colour being vacant from the day’s activities. The rest of the team, however, were fully booked until the following day. Steve, Tony and Bruce had commitments at a function down in the city, Clint was at home per usual (he only returned during the week when needed) and Sam, Nat and Rhodey had been called out of town to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D business.

According to the calendar the only other one staying at the compound that evening was Vision. Wanda got giddy at the thought of them being able to spend a normal evening in together, free from the incessant teasing from the rest of the team or the all too frequent emergencies demanding their attention.

It seemed Vision had the same idea as she heard a knock on the other side of her bedroom wall.

“C’mon in, Vis,” Wanda called, a smile dancing across her lips.

“Good afternoon,” Vision said as he phased through the wall.

Wanda leant back against her pillows and wrinkled her nose in amusement at him. “Is it really so hard to open a door?”

“Not at all, but that is how any of the team might enter your room,” Vision said, gesturing with his hands as he explained.

“Ah, I see,” she said teasingly.

“You’ve seen tonight’s agenda?” Vision asked walking to sit at the edge of her bed.

“We’re all free,” Wanda said in excitement. “I wish I’d known sooner, I could have planned some special.”

“Any evening with you is special,” Vision replied without missing a beat.

“Smooth,” Wanda said raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Did you practice that on the way up?”

“All day actually.”

“Well, either way I say we make the most of it,” Wanda said setting the tablet down and jumping to her feet. “First we’re going to the store in town to get snacks and baking materials because I am in the mood for cake, then we are–”

“Spending the evening watching the sitcom Parks and Recreation?” Vision finished the sentence for her.

“As you promised we would for our next free evening,” Wanda reminded pointing a stern figure at him. 

“I did give you my word,” Vision said placing a hand upon his chest with mock sincerity.

“Give me a chance to change and we’ll head off.”

Wanda made to shoo him out of her room, through the door this time, but Vision caught her arms and held her still so that he could kiss her quickly. She relaxed against his embrace and kissed him once more.

“Go on,” she said pushing him towards the door reluctantly, “that cake isn’t going to bake itself.”

Wanda was a frequent patron of the grocery store in the town centre nearest to the Compound, but it was the first time she had brought Vision along with her.

As they milled through the various isles, she pointed out particular snacks she had wanted to try as a child in Sokovia after watching American television programs and seeing the food they ate. There were a few she had forgotten about since moving to upstate New York and she pointed them out in excitement.

It took her until they were nearly ready to go to the check out for Wanda to realise that Vision had been putting each of the snacks she mentioned into the trolley he was pushing behind her.

“Vis, we don’t need this many snacks,” she said gesturing to the small mountain of biscuits and sweets that had grown behind her back.

“You said you wanted to try them though,” Vision said looking at his wares in a satisfied way, “which is why I am buying them.”

“But I won’t be able to eat this much,” Wanda said and then in a more hushed voice, “and you don’t eat.”

“I’m aware of that,” Vision stage whispered back. “Just think of it as insurance for the next time I beat you at scrabble.”

Wanda rolled her eyes but let him buy the food for her. He had a point with the scrabble comment, it was difficult to win a game when you were playing against a superhuman computer and Wanda was pained to admit that she got ridiculously competitive when it came to board games. The snacks were an easy way for him to get back in her good books.

At the check-out an elderly woman helped put their things into two bags and they were soon out in the chill of the autumn air once more. Wanda bobbed on the balls of her feet as she rubbed her hands together against the cold, immediately regretting her decision not to wear a coat with pockets. Noticing this, Vision extended his elbow to Wanda and she grasped the warm wool of the sweater around his arm.

“Such a gentleman,” she said past the cold as warmth from Vision flowed back into her fingers.

“Gentle-synthezoid?” Vision pondered and she laughed.

It wasn’t a long walk back to the compound but by the time they arrived the rest of the team had cleared out for the evening and Wanda’s teeth were nearly chattering. She hadn’t anticipated how cold it would get once the sun went down.

Once they had made it inside Vision set down the shopping and vanished through the wall without a word, leaving Wanda in the entry hall as she slipped out of her boots and picked up the bags to bring them through to the shared kitchen.

In moments Vision was back at her side again, this time with a large blanket from her bedroom. He slung it around her shoulders and wrapped her up, squeezing his arms around her for extra warmth.

“Hmm, I’m not too cold anymore,” Wanda said leaning back into him and looking up.

“Yes, but I am,” Vision said, his words brushing against her head.

Wanda rolled her eyes and shook her head but revelled a few more moments in his embrace.

When they finally parted Wanda kept the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and began to waddle about the kitchen, feeling very much like a large penguin, as she unpacked the shopping.

“Will you teach me?” Vision asked looking at the baking mix before them on the counter once her new stash of snacks had been tucked away for later.

“How to bake the cake?” Wanda replied in surprise.

He nodded in response.

“Alright,” Wanda smiled and picked up the chocolate cake ready-made mix she had picked up at the store. “This one is cheating a little because it’s pre-made so you just add the liquids.”

She went through the motions of pulling out a mixing bowl, getting eggs and milk from the fridge and adding some chocolate chips. As a child, Wanda had never had much of a sweet tooth, Pietro had eaten enough sugary treats for both of them when they were teenagers. Now they were something of a comfort food for her and she was glad that she could share the experience with Vision beside her.

He was close enough to watch intently or take over in stirring but kept enough distance that Wanda could tell he was focusing intently on what she was doing. They chattered sporadically throughout the process but when spaces of silence spread between them it was comfortable, filled by the motion of Vision lining the cake tray for her or the sound of the tap running as they left the washing up in the sink.

“Cake for supper on the couch upstairs?” Wanda asked as she slid the cake tin into the oven for 20 minutes.

“You read my mind,” Vision replied promptly as he turned to the sink to clean.

“May I?” Wanda asked a hand outstretched towards him.

“Of course.” Vision didn’t hesitate to duck his head a little in her direction as he began to fill the sink up and scrub away at the mixing bowl.

Vision’s mind felt like coming home to Wanda. It had frightened her at first when she’d taken a second look at his mind in the weeks after Pietro’s death and the disaster in Sokovia. It had been entirely an accident but had started them down the path that had led them to this moment.

_Wanda wasn’t sure how long she had been hovering in the kitchen, all she knew was that her mind didn’t seem to be able to move. It was like she was watching herself from the side, frozen before the fridge about to open it but unable to make the effort to do so. She didn’t want to acknowledge exactly what made her go into this state, where she retreated so thoroughly into her mind that she felt a stranger to her own body._

_She’d come downstairs to get juice, that much she knew. It was a liquid, required little effort and involved no cooking, plus the sugar helped. Yet here she was frozen._

_“Wanda?” She managed to turn her head in the direction of the voice near her. “Are you alright?”_

_It was the synthezoid._ Vision _._

_Wanda swallowed, her mouth as dry as sandpaper. “I’m fine, thank you,” she rasped finally managing to reach a hand to open the fridge._

_“If there is any food you require I would be happy to get it for you,” he offered hesitantly, and from somewhere deep within her she recognised the kindness and tucked the information away for later._

_“I’m alright, thank you,” she said once more, picking up the orange juice carton and closing the fridge behind her. As she did the door clipped her wrist and she dropped the carton in surprise._

_They both lunged for it at the same time and almost knocked heads in the process. Wanda had unknowingly reached out with her powers as well so when her hands connected with Vision’s around the juice she was inadvertently thrown into his consciousness._

_Most people’s consciousnesses were fairly difficult to navigate, only the slower minds could string together thoughts at a speed she could keep up with. It had gotten better with practice and she was good at finding the painful spots within someone’s psyche, particularly given how familiar she was with that realm of her own mind. But Vision was something wholly different. She had only looked into his mind once before and it hadn’t been something she’d been in a rush to repeat._

_This time things were clearer, as though his mind had grown a little more defined. She was vaguely conscious of his eyes locked on her own, which were likely glowing deep red. Within his head there were thoughts flying past so quickly she didn’t have time to catch them all. She managed to collect a few snippets that jumbled together so quickly that they seemed like nonsense._

‘Juice isn’t substantial enough –’

‘—download cookbooks?’

‘red glow… sleeping well?’

‘—warm hands’

_And beneath it all a general feeling of… worry. Concern, fear – but not damaging enough to make her recoil. It was the genuine nature of the emotions beyond his synthetic presentation that made her falter and snap away from his mind with shock. She’d only ever been short with him, straight up rude in some cases, yet here he was with a mind moving thousands of motions a second and behind it all a sense of worry… for her._

It had thrown her off her game so much that she had scurried off with the entire juice carton and then felt guilty about not leaving any for the rest of the house’s inhabitants the following morning.

But in the two year since she had befriended Vision and as they’d eventually become more, he’d let her delve into his mind often. He was always wonderfully articulate in conversation, but she’d come to see that it took him a little bit longer to find the right words to express emotions. That was when he’d pick her hand up and press it to his temple, or if the feelings were particular tender, above where his heart might’ve be.

On this occasion Wanda was surprised to find the overwhelming emotion overshadowing all of Vision’s other thoughts was _warmth._ He was simply content. Happy in the moment but without the highs and lows that accompanied such a bipolar emotion. He was at peace in this space with her.

Wanda focused on him alone, his eyes and the feeling of his cheek beneath her hand and tried her best to convey the same feeling back. _I am peaceful, you bring me peace, comfort, warmth._

Vision’s eyes widening were all the acknowledgment she needed to know that her message had gotten through loud and clear. She was about to draw her hand away shyly, but he leant into it more.

_‘—love’_

She squinted, concentrating harder.

_‘I love you.’_

Wanda smiled softly as he turned his face to kiss her palm tenderly. She leant forward, bringing their foreheads together until their noses were touching lightly. “I love you,” she whispered quietly as though she could hide the scary truth from the rest of the universe around them, “you are my home.”

The rest of their evening passed by relatively uneventfully after their surprising confessions in the kitchen. They spread out on the comfiest couch in the communal living room above the kitchen, Wanda with a plate of warm cake in her lap and Vision in charge of the remote. As promised, he had downloaded the first episodes of Parks and Recreation ahead of time and Wanda ate her cake happily as the domesticity of the first episode of the sitcom began.

She wondered if Vision could still feel how content she was in this moment, as she’d impressed upon him earlier. The pure peacefulness she felt as she leant back against his chest on the couch, feeling it rise with each of his breaths of laughter at the poor jokes on screen.

It was no surprise that shortly after finishing her piece of cake Wanda started to nod off. Seeing her eyes beginning to droop Vision pulled a blanket from the side of the couch across the two of them, adjusting his arm around her shoulders so that she could settle back more comfortably. He set the volume to low so that the television show continued as a comforting, yet distant, background noise.

They remained that way throughout the night and though Vision thought once about carrying Wanda to bed he was content to let her sleep in his arms for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excuse the absolute fluff of this chapter - I hope it was good? I'm better at writing angst. I just needed something like this after the final episode of WandaVision so I hope it brings you some comfort as well.


	5. a lifetime of promises, a world of dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> track #5 The Best by Tina Turner 
> 
> Kindly suggested by an anon over on Tumblr, feel free to request I'm @visionsofus over there too 
> 
> In which Wanda searches Edinburgh for Vision after she arrives late at their safehouse. When she discovers his energy signature floating around the city, she decides to follow the threads to their source. Along the journey she recalls the complications of their long-distance, secretive relationship but by the end recalls exactly why they sacrifice so much to be together.

Wanda was frantic as she hurried out of the airport. She’d been anticipating this trip for a month, her heart set on the two weeks Vision had managed to buy away from the compound. She’d planned out all the details to make sure she was on the right flight, that her fake passport was in order and that Nat was aware of her location if something went terribly wrong. Even her status as a fugitive was relatively under control thanks to some false information she’d planted over in Ohio last month. She’d left behind a trail of misleading clues that the Secretary of State and his team were lapping up eagerly, thinking they were getting closer to her capture for the first time in eighteen months.

Instead, here Wanda was halfway across the world having just landed at Edinburgh airport.

No matter how much she had planned things out, no matter the scope of her powers, nothing could have stopped the wave of snowfall that the UK had received in the last few days, coming to a head the previous night. She’d timed her flight to arrive, as they’d agreed, at 9pm at a predetermined destination in the city. To her dismay she’d found herself on a crowded red eye flight that had left 6 hours later when the runway had to be cleared of snow.

The worst part was that she’d had to sit there for those hours that dragged on for an eternity, knowing that at that very moment Vision would be waiting at the airbnb they’d rented out, alone. Wanda had no way to contact him, not with such short notice. Technology was too easy to track but it didn’t stop her longing to go and buy a cheap international sim from the technology stand at the airport and use it to just send one message. At this inclination Natasha’s voice had rung out in Wanda’s head, ‘ _the next time they catch you it’s as a war criminal, don’t give them a reason to decide you’re better off dead than locked up’._

So it wasn’t worth the risk but it didn’t stop the sick feeling that grew in her stomach as she waited nervously to be let through passport control, then at the taxi stand and finally on the doorstep of the flat they had booked just off West Port. 

It was early morning by the time she arrived, but the wintery sky was still hazy with the night’s darkness so she hoped that Vision might be waiting inside. The key box, which they’d been given a code to open from the host, was empty which further confirmed this conclusion. She rang the doorbell twice and waited. And waited and waited some more. There was no answer.

Wanda looked at the houses around her, streetlights reflecting their orange glows off of second story windowpanes. There were few lights on inside at this time of morning, but she still needed to be careful.

Leaving her only piece of luggage, a small carry-on bag that held the bare essentials of what she kept with her at all times these days, she looked up to the windows above her. Perhaps one of them would be open.

Wanda took a deep breath and let her power grow in her palms, red mist arcing out to push her from the ground. Her ascent was controlled and slow and she reached the windowsill with ease. It was just wide enough for her to grasp the waterpipe next to it and rest her feet on the sill. She froze when a light switched on next door and what sounded like a radio began to play, rather loudly considering the time of day. She used the music (it sounded like Tina Turner but she couldn’t be certain) to hide the distinct click that sounded from the window as she forced the lock open with her powers. Inside was quiet, all the lights were off, and Vision was not there.

“Vis?” Wanda called out nonetheless.

If he wasn’t here were could he be? Their general rule of thumb was that if one of them couldn’t make it to the predetermined location they had to wait 24 hours given it was safe to do so. It stood to reason that he’d follow the protocol this time, particularly given how long they were due to spend in Edinburgh and the months it had taken to concoct a believable excuse for why Vision wasn’t going to be in America.

Wanda returned to the window quickly and looked out over the limited view it gave of Edinburgh city and the castle rising up behind, providing a somewhat medieval backdrop. She raised her fingers to her forehead and took in her surroundings, focusing on the sound of early morning commuters from the main street, the sound of a ticking clock at her back, a car door closing down the road, and beyond it all she felt for Vision. Wanda hadn’t used the telepathic dimension of her powers in a while, or at least not as much as she had used to. They were a little rusty, making it hard to pinpoint precisely where Vision was but, when she opened her eyes something similar to an energy field could be seen gracing the cityscape before her. Certain structures stood out to her, outlined in a golden haze that couldn’t be anything but the mind stone calling to her.

Without hesitating Wanda vaulted out the window and hit the pavement below, her powers softening the landing. A flick of her hand sent her bag flying up through the open window.

Wanda grinned in anticipation and set off in the direction of the nearest golden glow, her boots hitting the cobbled streets one after the other. It had been freezing when she landed but as she ran through the slowly waking streets of Edinburgh Wanda removed her scarf and let it trail behind her.

The sun had not yet crested the horizon, but its light was turning the sky a nice lilac colour highlighted by the grey expanses of cloud hanging over the city. She briefly wondered whether it might snow today or if it was going to be too cold.

As Wanda rounded the corner onto the main street she nearly lost her footing on a stretch of dangerous black ice on the pavement only just catching herself on a nearby bus bench. She’d reached the first place Vision’s energy signature was calling her to, a small café down a wynd bordered on both sides by the back walls of town houses. The interior of the store was dark but a soft light glowed at the back where Wanda assumed the bakers had started their morning preparing the delicate pastries the café was known for. 

Wanda walked up to the window and looked at the ground where a strong outline of gold was hovering just above the icy cobble stones. Vision had been here recently, but he hadn’t gone inside, he’d just stood in the exact space she now hesitated at. They hadn’t had plans to meet here but it was a place they frequented any time they met up this side of the world.

Beyond the dark glass a few inches from her nose Wanda could see the cozy window seat that had become their spot. The café opened early and closed late at night so the pair had become frequent patrons what with Wanda sometimes kept up by recurring nightmares from her childhood and Vision who refused to let her be alone in those darkest hours.

Wanda’s fingertips brushed against the cold glass, leaving little prints in their wake at the tenderness of those memories, of her leaning against Vision, her hands clutching a warm cup while his arms encircled her waist. They’d sit there until the late hours when the store finally closed often talking about the other patrons in hushed tones. The students nursing late night coffees as they sat before computers, the lonely ones in new cities come to reclaim some control over the evening hours and, like them, the other insomniacs all drawn to the same place in this historic city. The conversation inevitably turned to their future and Wanda enjoyed thinking up ridiculous scenarios where they had a house in suburbia and didn’t have to run from anyone anymore. Things stayed lighthearted until they both grew too invested in the imaginary life they were discussing and returned back to wherever they were staying.

Wanda looked skywards again in the lightening morning and caught site of threads of gold leading her further down the street.

A mere block away was the only bookstore that stayed open 24 hours in the city. Some nights when the café had closed for the evening they had come here. The bell jangled, sharp in the serene silence of the store, as Wanda entered the maze-like stacks. Her fingers tingled in response to the energy signature that Vision had left here and she followed it to the back of the store which housed a few comfy armchairs and a long couch that they’d often set themselves up in for the night.

She could see it now as Vision’s energy shifted around her, as though it was responding to her presence. Could see him sitting across from her in her minds eye, a memory tucked away for safe keeping of when they’d last been in Edinburgh. He’d sat reading a book of poetry that he’d found amongst the stacks, his hands running gently across worn pages as he took in each word. She’d been perched at the other end of the couch, legs tucked beneath her and a sketch book resting on her knees as her pencil arced across the page creating the basis of his form, the curve of his shoulders, bend of his elbow, his legs crossed at the heal as he relaxed. Every now and then he’d glance up and she’d tilt the sketch away form his watchful eyes with a smile, or he’d take the moment to read out a particularly beautiful piece of poetry from the collection he was perusing.

Wanda had picked up drawing in the aftermath of the events in Sokovia and had been encouraged by Steve and Nat who had acted as her caretakers in those first few weeks after arriving in America. It had started as a simple activity to quiet her mind and draw what was happening within her, the first drawings hadn’t been good in skill or message, they’d started out dark. Vision didn’t know it, but she’d been drawing him for years, fascinated by trying to capture the feeling in his eyes or the gentle grace of his movement. Most of all this act of creation served to remind her that her hands could create beautiful things too, it didn’t all have to be death and destruction.

Wanda started as the energy rolled around her ankles before arcing back to the door. So, he wasn’t here either.

Out on the street gold threads guided her further up towards Edinburgh castle, the energy was growing stronger, and Wanda ran faster no longer just concerned about where Vision was but whether he was worried by her absence.

A small thread of energy darted off to the side and was so imperceptible that Wanda almost missed it. It was so weak that she knew there was no chance he’d be there but nonetheless she slowed down to a stop in front of a small newspaper stand that was being set up for the day. It was one of those metal domes that folded out to reveal the magazines and papers within. The elderly gentleman behind the counter gave her a warm smile as Wanda turned to the magazines, the cogs in her brain turning.

Of course he’d tried to stop here. Before they had brought Natasha into the picture, Wanda had communicated with Vision through the missed connections pages of local newspapers and gossip magazines. They’d leave each other a note, usually encoded so only they would understand it, detailing a time and place for their next meeting or what magazine they were going to put their next message in. In hindsight Wanda smiled at the memory but at the time she had been something of a mess. She’d come to rely on Vision for so much in the year they had spent living together, their first home. Being torn away from each other the way they were had been difficult, and the challenge of meeting each other in safe places for both of them had weighed down their evolving relationship. She wondered what might have happened if they’d been given the time they needed.

The owner of the stand was twirling the dial of a small radio moving from static to static until he found the radio station he wanted. To Wanda’s surprise, it was Tina Turner once more:

_Each time you leave me I start losing control._

_You’re walking away with my heart and my soul._

Wanda realised she was wasting time and hurriedly thanked the man before turning on her heel and starting down the street again. From here the incline grew but she hung onto the knowledge that when she eventually reached the thread’s end, Vision would be there waiting for her. Another lyric from Tina Turner’s song fluttered around her head as her chest burned from the running.

_I can feel you even when I’m alone._

It was true that she always carried him with her when they were apart, but it was never the same as being with him in person. Nothing could beat that.

Wanda hadn’t realised but, whether from the intensity of the moment, or the cold, little tears had started to trickle down her face, blow away by the brisk wind.

The energy was growing stronger.

_In your heart I see the star of every night and every day._

She ran faster, leaping up some steps two at a time and spinning around the corner.

_In your eyes I get lost._

The gates to the public entrance to the castle tour were yet to open but Wanda wasn’t about to let a bit of steel stop her from getting to where Vision was. She did a quick 360 to make sure that she was alone before pushing off the ground with her feet and a jolt of power. She was up on the nearest rooftop and past the entrance in moments. Running around corners and up steps she felt like the threads were pulling her up towards him. She finally reached the top section of the castle – the battlements.

_Just as long as I’m here in your arms_

That was when she caught sight of him, the energy grew stronger until it was so bright, she might as well have been looking at the sun. For one horrifying moment as she waited for the light to clear she feared she had imagined it all. As fear seized her heart, she slowed down a bit, gasping a little at the exertion.

_I could be in no better place_

There he was, looking out over Edinburgh’s fading night lights in the early morning. He turned around in surprise, immediately glamouring his appearance before he caught sight of who was there.

“Wanda,” he whispered, the illusion dropping instantaneously as she stepped towards him.

“I’m sorry,” she said so quietly that she was worried he might not hear her, “my flight got cancelled.”

He reached her in a few large strides and wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her close to him. Wanda led out a shaky breath that was somewhere between a sigh of relief and a sob she’d been holding in since that morning. She buried her face in his shoulder relishing in having him here before her at last.

“I know, I know,” he whispered into her hair. “I figured you’d been held up with all the cancelled flights from Heathrow.”

They held each other for a few moments longer, swaying back and forth a little.

“How did you know where I was?” Vision asked pulling back a bit and brushing Wanda’s hair over her shoulder so he could cup her cheek, his eyes searching her face as though not quite believing that she was here, before him.

“I’d always find you,” Wanda said before laughing softly, “ _I can feel you even when I am alone.”_

Vision tilted his head at the abrupt change in her tone, but Wanda couldn’t help it. It was impossible not to be happy as she stood there, atop Edinburgh castle in his arms halfway around the world from all of their problems.

“Well, I’m glad you found me.”

They stood there watching the sun rise, colouring the clouds in soft hues of lilac and lavender. Vision sighed in contentment, his chin resting on her shoulder from where he stood at her back, arms wrapped around her and holding him warmly to him. It wasn’t until sounds of the morning rush in the city below began to reach them that Wanda pulled away to look at him.

“I don’t suppose you’d mind if we spend the day in bed? I need to sleep off last night’s flight and recover a bit,”

“Of course not, my love,” he said raising her hand and kissing it. “You rest, I’ll pop out to get something for you for breakfast.”

Wanda sighed in happiness as they started to walk down the hill together. “I got lucky y’know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I have my perfect synthezoid partner willing to go and get me breakfast in bed despite the fact that I basically stood him up.”

Vision chuckled, swinging their hands back and forth together. “Not quite what happened, but I suppose you could say I am _simply the best,”_ he said nonchalantly waving a hand.

“You caught me! You should have told me you knew the song before I tried to use it as a romantic line,” Wanda mockingly scolded.

“I’ll always catch you,” Vision replied, pulling her closer as they emerged after the eventful night into the city welcoming them home together at last. 


	6. somewhere only we know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> track #6: Somewhere Only We Know by Keane 
> 
> In which nobody died in Endgame and Vision gets the opportunity to pick up where he and Wanda left off before they were interrupted in Edinburgh. 
> 
> Kindly requested by a lovely anon over on Tumblr ~

Vision stood with his hands on his hips surveying the empty lot before him. The place had fallen apart a little since he’d first purchased it, but this was to be expected given all that had happened since the Snap five years earlier. His eyes drifted over the loose foundation below his feet, the copse of trees in the corner of the spacious garden and the houses bordering the lot on each side.

“Vision,” Steve called from where he was waiting on the pavement, “are you almost ready to go?”

“Yes, Captain,” Vision replied hesitating before he turned away, “I just had to check something.”

“Well, it’s a bit late for checking, you’ve technically owned the property for 5 years.” 

Vision smiled as they set off towards the edge of the suburban town of Westview where a jet was waiting for them both. “I had to be sure that it was the right place, that nothing had changed too drastically since the Snap.”

“Fair enough, but we better hurry on if we don’t wanna be late to Tony’s.”

Vision didn’t speak aloud the final reason he’d needed to see the block of land he held the deed to. The most important thing that he had to check was whether he could still envision a life for himself there. If he could still see the dream that he’d intended to set out to achieve with Wanda five years earlier. And now finally all he needed to check was whether his dream was hers too.

The living room at the lake house was beginning to run out of chairs. Mr Stark’s guests had been arriving since early afternoon and Steve had flown the jet quick enough to get them there on time. Now sitting amongst the mismatched chairs brought down from different rooms of the house they had all gathered at last.

A week had passed since the Blip that had brought back half the Earth’s population back from the dead. In that time Vision had gone through all sorts of procedures with the aid of Helen Cho and Shuri as they managed to piece back his pre-snap consciousness and install it back in his dormant body that had been left on the battlefield in Wakanda. Stark had provided a miniature arc reactor that generated enough energy that Vision felt relatively back to his old self. It had been strange at first, adjusting to the new energy in his forehead, but there was an element of steadiness to the reactor that he’d not had back when the mind stone had been his core source of life. For now, he was back to normal and the only thing missing was Wanda.

Vision had made it back from Wakanda mere hours ago, he’d convinced Steve, Helen, Shuri and Natasha to stop briefly in Westview before continuing onto the Stark lakehouse where there was to be a celebration they all so dearly needed. Wanda hadn’t been able to leave the US thanks to her newly acquired visa that had been granted for her service to the state, and she’d gone to D.C. to sort out all the paperwork. He hadn’t seen her since those last moments when he’d asked her to do the unthinkable. Though in real time they had only been parted for a little over a week, it might as well have been a lifetime for Vision.

Accompanying the anticipation was a sense of anxiety that frustrated him, the gnawing fear that perhaps he wasn’t entirely himself anymore, or, that he wouldn’t be enough for her.

Outside the worries of his mind, the room was filling out as more guests arrived. Tony was, of course, the centre of attention with his young daughter hanging on his every, shaky word from the wheelchair he was propped up in. He was still battered and burnt but slowly on the mend thanks to the technology provided by Helen Cho that had helped save him in the hours after using the gauntlet to snap Thanos and his army out of existence. In the armchair beside him was Pepper, young Morgan sitting snug beside her mother. On the couch were Sam, Bucky, Nat and Steve, with Strange leaning against the wall behind them. Bruce, with his on the mend arm, had a chair to himself and was deep in conversation with Happy Hogan. Further around the room, nestled together on different pieces of furniture was the rest of their combined teams, some from this planet and others from afar, remarkably all in one piece despite the last 5 years. For some it had been only a week since their last battle, for others it had been half a decade. Vision found himself in the odd position of falling somewhere in the in-between. He had some simple memories of his mind being saved within Shuri’s technology, an understanding that 5 years had passed before he was restored to his corporeal form once more. The closest comparison he could make was that it was like he had taken a very, very long nap. 

“The food’s ready so we should all head out now,” Pepper said waving her hand for the others to get their attention and slowly the group began to move outside. Vision lagged behind, following Tony as he was wheeled out.

“Allow me,” Vision said as he lifted the chair down the porch stairs, his body just as strong as it always had been.

“Thank you,” Tony said with a pained smile, clearly unhappy with being so immobile for the time being.

An extremely long table had been assembled in the garden and, blessed as they were with the perfect weather, was topped with all sorts of dishes. Vision was just settling down to sit between Thor and Strange when everyone’s attention was drawn to the Honda civic pulling into the already crowded driveway. 

“Ah, that’ll be—” Clint began looking up as Vision stood from his seat.

“Wanda,” Vision whispered starting in the car’s direction, his face breaking into a grin. Any anxiety he’d had over their second first meeting was thrown to the wind as he was overcome with the excitement at having her before him once more.

She stepped out of the car hesitantly, shutting the door with a thud behind her. She took a moment to adjust what she was wearing, a simple red blouse and jeans, before looking up. It was impossible to explain how it felt when her eyes locked on his, but Vision found himself winded, unable to move, caught between running for her and holding back.

It was Wanda who made the first step, stalking around the back of the car and making for him with a look on her face that was so fierce that Vision nearly took an involuntary step back. When Wanda was merely feet away, she came to a stubborn stop, her head tilting as she took him in, eyes narrowing at the arc reactor atop his head.

Hesitantly, unsure what else to do, Vision opened his arms.

It was all the encouragement that she needed.

Wanda launched forward into his embrace and Vision laughed joyfully, using the momentum to lift her up effortlessly and spin them around. Wanda laughed breathlessly as he did so and hugged him so hard that his throat grew tight with emotion.

“You’re here, you’re really here,” she was whispering as they held each other.

“I’m right here,” he said back, pulling away enough so that he could see her face clearly. “I’m sorry that I ever had to leave you.”

Wanda’s bottom lip trembled as she raised her hand and pressed it warmly against his cheek. “Never again.” She said it like a promise, but her eyes conveyed so much more, and the desperation behind them made Vision feel like he was dying all over again.

“Never again,” he promised and leant forward to kiss her tenderly, her hands sliding over his shoulders in an embrace that was long overdue.

The held each other wordlessly for a few moments longer before turning back to the table together, Vision keeping a comforting arm around Wanda’s shoulders as she kept her arms tight around his waist. The rest of the guests had let them have their reunion in private and were already focused on serving out the food. Upon seeing the pair approach Steve rose from the table to hug Wanda tightly. Wanda parted from Vision long enough to say hello to her old teammates, returning Steve’s hug with a laugh of joy before making her way over to Natasha, Clint and the others.

Vision returned to his seat next to a space that Strange had kindly vacated, moving one chair down to make room for Wanda. Beside him Thor’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as he looked around at his companions with infinite fondness. Vision reached out and squeezed his shoulder in comfort and Thor took a deep breath, wiping at his eyes before reaching for the boiled potatoes in front of him.

Though Vision had never had any reason to learn his own food preferences, not needing to eat and all, he did know Wanda’s and set about heaping her plate with all her favourites. All along the table the team was tucking into the extensive Sunday lunch-like meal.

When Wanda made her way back to him the plate was sitting before her empty chair and she smiled softly, leaning down to kiss his cheek as she sat down. She remained as close to him as possible throughout the entire meal as the team traded stories of the lives they’d had in the past five years, updating those around them. In the end Wanda gave up the use of her left hand in eating so that she could keep a tight hold of Vision’s throughout the lunch. Vision didn’t speak much and though he was conscious of the conversations happening and jumped in every now and then with a few witty comments, his attention was all for her.

Tony was just getting to the part in his story where he had bought the lot of land they were now eating on after Pepper had told him she was pregnant when Vision motioned for Wanda to follow him away from the table. There was enough laughter and tears going around that he felt sure they wouldn’t be missed for a few minutes.

“What’s wrong?” Wanda asked as he pulled her up the stairs on the porch and just around the corner.

“Nothing is wrong,” Vision said squeezing her hands tightly. “Everything is perfect.”

She scrunched her nose up in suspicion, “why are you looking at me like that then?”

“Like what?” Vision asked pulling her closer for a quick kiss, “I am simply looking at the woman I love.” She kissed him harder this time.

“Is this why you brought me around here?” She asked teasingly as he planted kisses on her cheeks, lingering at her mouth.

“Not quite,” he whispered and from the pocket of his trousers he brought forth a piece of paper, his hand not quite shaking but still unsteady.

“What’s this,” Wanda murmured reaching for the offered document.

“It’s uh—” Vision muttered, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck. He hadn’t meant to fumble again. “It’s, well you’ll see...” 

Wanda shook her head at him with a soft smile and unfolded the paper, her brow creasing as she examined the property deed before her. “Vis…”

“I hesitated last time,” Vision said bending slightly so he could catch Wanda’s gaze, “I refuse to make the same mistake again.”

“Vis, this is a deed, like a deed for a house.”

“Well a deed for a _piece of land_ but the details hardly matter,” Vision said shrugging and taking Wanda’s hand again, “the important thing is what _you_ want.”

Wanda bit her lip looking at the paper between them and then up at him. “It’s what I think it is?”

Vision nodded slowly as she marvelled at the little red heart he’d drawn on the property lot and the text within; _to grow old in._

“Death teaches you a lot, but I believe I already knew that this was right, I’ve known for a long time,” he said firmly, “I want to us to have a place, a _home_ , and to have that future together.”

Small tears had started rolling down Wanda’s cheeks as she nodded fervently and Vision laughed reaching out to brush them aside, “Is that a yes?”

“Of course, it’s a yes,” she cried pushing his hand aside and throwing her arms around him.

“Oof, definitely a yes,” he grinned returning her hug with his whole heart. “I was worried.”

“What could you possibly have been worried about?” Wanda asked, her voice next to his ear.

“Well, what if you had thought me not so much myself anymore?” Vision said, a little hesitant to voice his anxieties aloud to her.

She drew back, her face turning serious. “You are just as much you as you ever were, nothing has changed for me.”

He hadn’t anticipated the relief he’d feel at hearing her say this and without a word pulled her to him again, kissing her. He was still the Vision who had decided to save her from a falling city, who had been so dramatically changed by her presence in the early days of his life, as the Vision who had thrown aside his loyalties to keep her safe, as the Vision who had given up his life for hers. And now, as the Vision who dreamt of more, of a home for both of them where they might live their life out _together_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean this song made me emotional already, but then sitting and just seeing this fic play out in my head before I wrote it as I listened to this song--- MY HEART. This was mostly for my own sanity post that finale and I just needed to write something where they were all happy with nothing bad hanging over their heads. 
> 
> Hope the anon who requested this enjoys <3   
> Feel free to send me any song requests on my Tumblr (visionsofus)


	7. don't speak as I try to leave (I'll fall right back to you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mixtape track #7: Clarity by Foxes (Acoustic)
> 
> A distressed Vision shows up at Wanda’s door after a particularly bad situation goes down at the compound. She comforts him as they both try to reconcile with the very different lives they are now living. Set a few weeks post-CW.

Vision was fighting the guilt of showing up unannounced right up until he rang the doorbell for Apartment 4A.

The small answering panel crackled to life indicating that someone was listening on the other line. He fed through a mismatched collection of words and numbers that Natasha Romanoff had told him to say and was met with muffled swearing in Sokovian.

“I know it’s dangerous,” Vision said quietly into the receiver. He swallowed and steeled himself when there was no reply. “Please, I need to see you.”

The lock buzzed open in confirmation and Vision pushed the door aside as he entered the rundown apartment complex. He took the stairs as quickly as he could without appearing suspicious, conscious that he was putting them both at risk by being here. The building may not have had security cameras but there could be eyes anywhere.

The flat was the first on the right when he reached the fourth floor and just as he raised his hand to knock the door flew open.

Wanda Maximoff stood in the doorway; her arms crossed.

“We both know you shouldn’t be here, Vis,” she said, peering over his shoulder cautiously.

“Please,” Vision said, “please just for one night.”

Wanda bit her lip in thought for a moment before standing to the side to let him in. “Fine, did anyone see you come in?”

“I was very careful,” he assured her, but it didn’t stop her from waving her hands to the two windows facing the street and sending the blinds safely down, casting them both in sudden shadow. She turned the two lamps either side of the bed on and gestured for him to sit.

“What’s going on?” Wanda asked as Vision perched himself at the corner of the bed.

“I—” Vision stuttered, he sighed in frustration and dropped his head into his hands.

“Hey,” Wanda said at his side in seconds, “what happened?”

Vision looked back up again, “I have access to every word ever recorded but I can’t seem to find the right ones to encompass how I feel right now.” He pressed his chest as he spoke, and Wanda slowly drew his hands away and into her warm grip.

“Slow down, why don’t you start from the beginning?”

Several hours earlier Vision was sat in the Compound’s board room, surrounded by various bureaucratic officials, Mr Stark and the Secretary of State. Discussions regarding the operation of the Sokovia Accords in the US had turned out to be taking longer than anyone had anticipated. Despite having signed it himself weeks earlier there was still a lot of fine print to debate.

“I’d like to come back to the amendment to Term 62A?” Stark’s lawyer said turning the thick document as he did. “We cannot accept the current provision outlined in part 3.”

“This is regarding the use of sentient weapons?” The state lawyer responded and there was the shuffling of paper around the table as everyone found the appropriate page.

With a sigh, Mr Stark settled back into his chair turning his eyes skyward, fingers resting on his chin in contemplation. Vision sat forward a little, leaning forward to gauge which section they were discussing from the document in front of him.

“I’m afraid this is quite a significant part of the term you are disagreeing with,” the state lawyer said shaking her head in dismay.

Vision scanned the term and though his amygdala was synthetic, something akin to true fear jolted through his mind. This section they were discussing might as well have used his name it was so blatantly targeted.

“This is not the kind of control that we consented to in the initial agreement to the Accord’s terms.” Vision tried to stay present in the conversation but was struggling to raise his eyes from the words before him. “This ‘ _sentient weaponry must subject themselves for routine research and development analysis’_ is not something we can agree to.”

“Mr Stark,” Vision said under his breath to the man sitting next to him. But Tony only gestured with a finger to his lips to be quiet.

“I’m afraid the state is not budging on this term,” the lawyer said shaking her head and removing her glasses leisurely to clean them. “You are lucky enough that the android isn’t being dismantled considering term 33,” she flipped to it and recited, “‘ _the creation of self-aware artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited’_.”

The Stark lawyer made a noise of disagreement. “The Vision was created prior to the Accords and is not bound by this term. We’d appreciate it if you could treat him with the appropriate respect throughout this meeting.”

“He’s a robot,” Ross, the Secretary of State shrugged. Vision’s jaw tensed but he kept his cool, knowing that any unsavoury comments would not aid in the negotiations. 

“Artificial he may be, but we are all equals in this meeting.”

There was a beat of heavy silence.

“Look we just can’t agree to that level of invasive scrutiny of a conscious being,” Tony said, finally jumping in, much to Vision’s relief. “The law may not be developed enough to encompass the rights of AI but Vision is more than a robot and is due the same rights as you or me.”

“You know we can’t just let him run around like this, Stark,” Ross said. Vision’s brow furrowed at how condescending the man was being.

“He’s not running around; he has complied with everything—”

“He is a national disaster waiting to happen.”

Tony rose his voice and put up a hand so he could finish his sentence, “—He has consented to sign the accords which is more human than some others.”

“That’s not enough,” Ross said firmly, his voice rising.

“It has to be enough,” Tony shot back, “this is the kind of bullshit that the bad guys do, all this R and D on real people, I know you’re not trying to be the bad guy here.”

“He’s a weapon and I will not let him become a problem for this country,” Ross said folding his hands tightly atop the desk, “I’d bet Colonel Rhodes would agree with me.”

Vision felt like he was sinking below the floor, struggling to remain connected to the situation before him even as his brain upped processing power to cope with all the thoughts rushing through his head. It was difficult to think straight when they were debating his right to exist.

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, as aware as Vision was that the conversation was not going the direction they wanted. “Look, we say no, you say yes, this isn’t going anywhere.”

“Do you have an alternative you can present us with?” Their lawyer jumped in, clearly eager to move the conversation on.

Ross and his lawyer took a moment. “No, but we can have something ready for Friday.”

“Great, then we reconvene Friday morning.”

Vision did not move as the others around the table rose and shook hands with each other. He stayed where he sat, his fingers pressed to his lips in consideration as he took in the damning conversation he had just been witness to. There was no fooling him, not after the experience he’d had these last few months. The state would get what they wanted, and Vision would need to subject himself to whatever testing they demanded. He doubted they would be as inclined to prohibit the creation of sentient AI once they actually knew how to weaponise it. All they needed was access to his brain and his parts and they’d crack the code for how to win any world war. Vision’s brain lurched sickly at the thought of the destruction that would amount to, no he would not let that happen.

“I’m sorry the conversation went south like that,” Tony said once the bureaucrats had been turned out of the room.

“It’s ok.”

“Is it?” Tony asked leaning on the table. “How are you feeling?”

“My feelings are largely artificial, a predetermined response to various stimuli,” Vision murmured, his tone giving away an edge that he tried to hide.

“Doesn’t mean they’re not real,” Tony shrugged, “and you’re certainly avoiding my question the way someone with feelings might.”

“I was not avoiding the question,” Vision said, contradicting himself as he spoke.

“Tell me how I can help make it less loud up here,” Tony said tapping at his own temple.

Vision wondered how Tony knew how loud his brain had become in the last few minutes, with the statistics flying through his mind, neurons running in circles around theories of nuclear destruction and what his technology might mean for the world. Tony was infuriatingly perceptive.

When Vision didn’t respond and kept his eyes fixed on the board table in front of him, Tony came closer and laid a hand on Vision’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “I need you right now, I can’t have you going catatonic on me.”

“I will not ‘go catatonic’,” Vision said distantly.

“Then tell me what you need.”

He hesitated, his voice caught on the words, on the question he’d wanted to ask for weeks. “There may be one thing that could help.”

Wanda was quiet for a moment as Vision finished recounting the events of that afternoon and how he had come to discover her safe house. Tony, unsurprisingly, hadn’t know where Wanda was hiding but he had passed on the location of Natasha and through her Vision had made it here. Wanda moved to the bed beside him as he spoke but there was a distance to her eyes that made Vision nervous. He was still wondering if he had done the right thing in coming here. They had been each other’s confidantes for over a year back at the Compound, but he worried that things had perhaps changedmore than he realised _._

“You have to trust Stark,” Wanda said finally, “he always has your best interests at heart. They’re still negotiating, this isn’t final, okay?”

“I know,” Vision murmured.

“And what you’re feeling right now is entirely normal, take it from someone who spent a year locked up and experimented on.” He knew she was trying to joke but it pained him when she spoke so lightly of her time being experimented on under Strucker’s careful eye.

Vision suddenly became conscious that while they were talking Wanda had gone from holding his hands in comfort to intertwining their fingers, her thumb rubbing slow, calming circles into the back of his hand. She seemed to realise what she was doing at that exact moment and abruptly let go, getting to her feet.

“And who knows, worst case scenario you can always run away with me.”

She meant it casually but the way their eyes locked indicated it was anything but. Vision didn’t voice his thoughts as she turned away, cheeks alight with pink, didn’t say that he’d hated staying away from her. That, while he didn’t regret his decision to become a party to the Accords, he hated that it meant they couldn’t be together. It had taken him weeks to unlearn the habit that had him phasing into her room at odds hours of the day. It felt like a kick to the chest every time he looked about the empty space and realised she wasn’t there. 

“Well,” Wanda said, clearing her throat, “I need to have dinner.”

“Is there anything that I can do?” Vision said, not liking how the words which hung unsaid between them made the air thick.

She smiled sweetly, “It wasn’t an invitation, Vis, but thank you.”

He pressed his hands atop his knees and rose to his feet, following Wanda to the little kitchenette connected to the apartment. It was just big enough to allow her to move about between the fridge, the countertop and the two-hob stove so he hesitated just out of the way.

To fill the silence Wanda spoke, recounting what the last few weeks had been like for her. Her reunion with the rest of the team outside of Raft prison and their decision to split up for the first few months, knowing they posed more danger to each other as a group. Vision was glad to hear they were taking appropriate precautions but the thought of Wanda spending day after day in this apartment, alone, was hard to hear.

“What are you eating?” Vision asked from his space just outside her perimeter.

Wanda winced and held up what looked like a takeout container. “Food I didn’t finish last night. I’ll usually cook but sometimes it’s just… too difficult.” He watched as she put the container in the microwave above the sink and they were accompanied by the whirr of the machine.

“How are things at home?” Wanda asked and he tried to ignore the warm feeling about his chest at hearing her call the Compound home, before the grounding realisation that it may never be her home again, that stage of their life was well and truly moving on.

Before Vision had the chance to answer Wanda had reached in to pull her container out of microwave and yelped in pain, dropping it in surprise. He was at her side immediately, taking her hand in his and analysing the wound.

“Vision, it’s fine,” Wanda said her voice cracking slightly but not making to take her hand away

“I just want to be sure.” He was met with a shaky sigh from Wanda and upon looking up saw that she was on the verge of tears. “Does it sting a lot?”

She laughed sadly, pulling her hand away to wipe at her eyes. “Gosh no, it’s nothing.” The ‘compared to what I’ve been through’ that she meant to say afterwards was clear.

“Why are you upset?” Vision asked softly as Wanda turned away slightly to dab at her eyes.

She let a breath loose through her teeth, her bottom lip bobbing slightly. “I just…”

“Just?” Vision asked taking her hand softly and pressing one of his cooling palms over the spot he assumed she was hurting from.

Wanda’s eyes sprung with tears and she shook her head slowly as they started to fall. Wordlessly Vision pulled her to him and, when she didn’t protest, wrapped an arm around her keeping a comforting grasp on her hurt hand. He listened as she breathed out shakily and pressed her forehead to his chest in defeat. He stayed quiet letting her lean into his stability for as long as she needed. They had never been like this with each other before, but it felt right.

“Sorry,” she murmured eventually pulling away with a deep breath.

“You have nothing to apologise for,” Vision said quietly, reluctantly letting her step away.

“It’s just been a lot, being on my own like this,” Wanda said reaching up for the food with a cloth this time to protect her hands. “What a pair we make, you’re the one I’m supposed to be comforting.”

It had already been late when Vision arrived so Wanda was quick to get ready for bed, telling him how she insisted on having a steadfast routine to stop her going stir crazy as a fugitive who could rarely go outside. She popped into the little bathroom, the shower turning on after a second and leaving Vision to the emptiness of the small room.

Aside from the essentials the room was scarce and looked barely lived in. A duffle bag sat by the door full with what Vision could only assume was all she needed if she had to leave in the middle of the night. He looked sadly about him and realised that this was what her life had become. While he had been floating aimlessly around the Compound she’d been running for her life.

Wanda returned from the shower, her hair twisted up above her head and fresh clothes on. Vision stood on impulse and she hesitated to look at him.

“I’m going to sleep.”

“Of course,” he said taking a step away from the bed.

“You wanted to stay for the night?”

“Is that ok?” Vision said rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly.

She nodded her head, “If you left now, I’d be too worried about you getting back safely to sleep.”

As she went around turning out the lights Vision looked about for somewhere he could sit. Other than a rickety chair and table before the tv opposite the bed there was nowhere else. When he made to go sit down Wanda looked at him funny and tilted her head in question.

“What are you doing?”

“Sitting down,” Vision said slowly.

“Don’t be silly, I’m not going to have you sit in a chair for the entire night, the bed is big enough for the both of us.” Vision wasn’t entirely sure it was but followed her anyway.

It was easier once the room was dark, and he knew that she couldn’t see him as he slipped off his shoes and stretched out on the bed beside her. He stared up at the ceiling above their heads and listened to Wanda’s breath as she shuffled around trying to get comfortable underneath the covers.

“I think I will be alright,” Vision whispered to the darkness, not entirely sure who he was speaking to, himself or Wanda. “I can return to Mr Stark tomorrow and we’ll talk about how to negotiate better at the next meeting, I’ll make sure it works out.”

Wanda sighed something between a laugh and a yawn. “You amaze me,” she said.

“Why?” He asked, genuinely interested.

“Well, you were so worked up when you arrived at my door but now, you’re able to put it behind you and trust the people in your life and yourself.”

Vision couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the irony.

“What?” Wanda asked indignantly to the dark room.

“I learnt that from you,” Vision said turning his head to the side so that he might see her. She was lying on her side, eyes slightly out of focus in the deep darkness of the room that didn’t cause his eyes any trouble. 

To his surprise instead of replying Wanda reached out to him, her fingertips brushing delicately against his cheek. “I can hear you smiling but I want to see it,” she whispered, her eyes searching the darkness. Her fingers moved lower, the back of her hand brushing hesitantly off his nose before tracing the curve of his lips. Vision hadn’t even realised that he’d been smiling, but he was sure that he’d smiled more in the last few hours than he had in the last month.

“When I leave tomorrow,” Vision spoke his mouth moving against her feather-like touch, feeling as though if he didn’t say it aloud, he’d never leave. “And once I have sorted the Accord’s issues out, would you let me come see you again?”

Wanda’s fingers froze and she dropped her hand against the pillow. Her reply was silence in the dark air. “I miss you, Wanda,” he added.

“I’d like that,” she said finally. “I miss you too.”

When Wanda awoke the following morning he was gone, leaving a stack of books for her on the counter for ‘entertainment’, and a freezer full of at least two weeks’ worth of frozen meals for ‘when it gets too difficult’. A slip of paper with his neat print was resting on the pillow where his head had been the previous night. He’d left cryptic instructions for how she could reach him without being tracked if she ever needed him or wanted to talk about where they might meet again. He was very pointed about needing to see her again which was somewhat comforting given how unceremoniously he had fled her bed in the early hours of the morning. He explained himself there as well:

_I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving like this. Our time together last night brough a clarity that I didn’t know I needed until now. I knew if it came to having to say goodbye face to face, that one word from you and I’d fall back to you and never leave._

_I will see you soon, I hope._

_Yours,_

_Vision_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was running around my head for a few days and I just had to get it out on the page. I really liked writing more from Vision's perspective for this part and exploring their early relationship post-CW.
> 
> I'll be moving onto some more requests from Tumblr (@visionsofus) next so feel free to send me any songs you'd like to be seen made into this mixtape series :) 
> 
> Hope you're having a lovely morning, afternoon, night x


	8. our little corner of the universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> track #8: Our Corner of the Universe by K.S. Rhoads 
> 
> In which Wanda and Vision are coming to the end of a few weeks together in Paris pre-IW and Wanda dreams a life for them where they no longer have to run and hide. Unknowingly, she draws Vision into her dream and they both must contend with the idea that this reality isn't something that will be easy for them. 
> 
> Kindly requested by a lovely anon over on Tumblr (@visionsofus)

Paris had grown colder in the last few days, as though the city knew the time was coming when Vision would have to leave. The sun had disappeared early that morning behind a cover of clouds that had seen the day through until sunset, leaving a soft rain to patter against the glass French doors. They were huddled in bed now, Vision tracing soft patterns about Wanda’s back as he watched the rain drizzle down the glass.

“Tomorrow is too soon,” she whispered, her head shifting slightly from where it was resting atop his chest.

“I know,” he murmured into her hair, kissing the top of her head affectionately. 

“One day we won’t run like this,” Wanda said looking up into his eyes and Vision tried to smile. Normally he was more hopeful, but it was now coming to the end of their second year of meeting up like this and it was difficult to see a future where they could be else. Of a time when they might have a life together that was more than stolen moments in distant cities.

“One day we’ll be able to live together in one place, we’ll have neighbours and friends, we won’t have to hide.”

“I hope so, my love,” Vision said opening his arms wider as Wanda got under the dark bed covers for the evening. Once she was settled, he slid off the bed and went about turning the lights out and checking the doors were locked. It was routine for them now. Once Vision was sure that everything was safely locked up, he joined Wanda, pulling a blanket from the foot of the bed atop the covers for added warmth.

Wanda shuffled closer to him as he lay down beside her and he opened his arms for her to rest atop his chest once more. They were often inseparable like this on the last night, needing the physical connection of each other to remind themselves to be present in the moment and not spend their precious hours dreading the coming morning.

Vision ran his fingers through Wanda’s hair in calming motions as her breath slowed. Eventually he stilled and started to drift off himself, into the version of sleep that his synthezoid body demanded. 

Neither of them was conscious when Wanda’s hand twitched atop Vision’s chest, red mist forming before dissipating in the air between them.

Vision didn’t dream. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, if he really wanted to his synthetic brain could replicate something close to the dreamlike state that humans experienced. But he generally preferred the endless quiet that came with his brain’s resting state. The chance for stillness, even for a few hours, was a relief. Perhaps there was an element of self-preservation to it, the fear that Wanda would be caught and that he would have to watch her be imprisoned once more haunted his waking hours enough, he would rather not be consumed by the same thoughts at night.

So it came as something of a surprise when Vision found himself opening his eyes to warm sunlight, despite his brain reminding him that he was indeed, still resting. It disconcerting trying to reconcile his physical form, which remained in the Parisian apartment in bed beside Wanda, and his mental form currently cast in sunlight somewhere, somewhen, else.

Judging from the light streaming through the four paned windows opposite his face, it was early morning, where though, he couldn’t tell. Slowly, Vision rolled over and came face to face with the peaceful, sleeping face of his partner. She sighed softly and shifted closer to him.

“Go back to sleep, it’s too early,” she whispered to him.

“It’s night-time,” Vision said in confusion.

Wanda’s eyes opened and she scrunched her nose up at him. “Just a few more minutes.”

This put him at ease, it was exactly what his Wanda said most mornings. “Of course, a few more minutes,” he said, and Wanda sighed happily, moving closer to rest her head upon his shoulder like a pillow.

“We should stay like this forever.”

Vision smiled and his eyes drifted closed against the sun, wishing that every morning might be like this.

He started when he suddenly found himself standing in an unfamiliar living room. It was a cosy space, mostly occupied by a large red couch and a collection of armchairs assembled around a flat screen television. He spun on the spot looking around for Wanda.

“Vis? Is that you?” Came Wanda’s disembodied voice and Vision followed it through the next room into a quaint kitchen complete with cluttered island and wooden dining table.

“Darling?” Vision said hesitantly, closing the kitchen door behind him. “What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to make sure that your evening is free for next Friday, we’ve been invited to dinner,” Wanda said running her fingers atop a calendar and marking a square with a black marker.

She was dreaming, that much he was now sure of. This strange transition to what appeared to be a few hours later was the most obvious indicator. Not to mention the haze like state of their surroundings, as though the interior designer had given up halfway through the décor process. Kitchen tiles faded off into exposed wall, there were two clocks hanging above the sink ticking in opposite directions, and though there were cookbooks sitting on the kitchen island, when Vision tried to make sense of their titles, he found he couldn’t read any of them.

He’d talked with Wanda about what kind of house that she would like one day, but that had been a while ago and he’d been hesitant to add himself to that image. Now here he was in her dreamscape, in a made-up house that they appeared to live in, together.

“So that is a yes for you next Friday?” Wanda said absentmindedly as she began to move around the kitchen assembling a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.

“Yes,” Vision said, deciding it was best to play along, distantly recalling that it wasn’t a good idea to wake sleepwalkers. He didn’t want to give Wanda a fright or force her into a lucid dream state. Instead he watched in wonder as she continued to navigate the space with ease, her hands finding the cupboard with the saucepans and the cutlery drawer without hesitation, it was fascinating to watch. He wasn’t entirely sure how Wanda had drawn him into her dream, but for now he was content to observe.

“I was thinking of making Paprikash to take, what do you think?” Wanda asked as she brought her meal to the table and gestured for him to join her.

“I think—” Vision began, watching her smile up at him as he hovered about the table. “I think that is a wonderful idea.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she said grinning and taking a napkin from a pile on the table, “perhaps I can teach you how to make it properly?”

“I’d love that,” he replied, thinking tenderly of his pathetic first attempt at the dish all those years earlier. Back when he’d been a lovestruck being, not entirely capable of processing the wave of feelings he got every time she was near. He supposed not much had changed, if anything the feelings had grown more intense.

Before Vision had time to further dissect the space about them, the scene changed yet again and he found himself standing in a park whose grass was slightly too green, the colours of the playground a little too bright. The colours lost their saturation around the corners of his view, as though the paintbrush had run out of paint for the edges.

Vision instead turned his attention to the woman walking beside him, her arm tucked into the nook of his elbow as they strolled through the park. He was distinctly aware of Wanda chattering away about their imaginary schedule for the weekend, suggesting a movie the following day at the outdoor cinema with their neighbours and reminding him of the community meeting the following Wednesday.

He smiled softly and listened to her creating this life for them, wishing it into existence. He was content to just hear her speak, to gain this glimpse into a future they clearly both wanted, even if it was just a dream for the time being. It reignited his desire to fight for a shared life with Wanda. The running and hiding had been wearing them both down recently, but it humbled his despair to know that Wanda still longed for this version of life. It made him want to do as much as he could to get them something close to this life.

Vision turned his face to the sun as they walked, relishing in its warmth as glimpses of light made it through the greenery above them. Her hand was a constant on his arm, her voice in his head telling him of all they both wished for, birds providing a background chorus.

His eyes opened once more, smiling as he turned his head to look at Wanda. It took a moment to realise this wasn’t part of the dream, that he had returned to their current reality once more.

It was still dark outside and for a brief moment his heart held onto the hope that time had paused while they dreamt, that it was still evening, but a glance to the digital clock on their bedside table told Vision it was nearing 7am. He was due to get the train at 10am.

Wanda was still curled against his side, her breathing slow and steady, one hand had reached across the covers as they slept, reaching for him. He took it rubbing her cold fingers to warm them up. As he did so, she stirred beside him.

“Wanda,” he murmured to the morning air, brushing her hair off her cheek with gentle touches.

“No,” she whispered back, scrunching her eyes closed causing little tears to leak from the corners. “I didn’t want to wake up.”

“I know,” he said.

“I wanted to stay there.”

“One day.”

Wanda opened her eyes at this and looked up at him, her questions clear. He smiled tightly at her but was sure it came across as something closer to a grimace. Understanding reached her eyes and he nodded sadly, confirming that he’d seen it all too.

“One day,” he repeated, like a promise and she slid her arms around his waist in answer, pulling herself closer to his warmth.

They held each other for as long as they could afford before knowing that they had no other choice than to get ready for their respective departures. With their bags packed, Vision set about making a quick breakfast for Wanda, the same scrambled eggs and bacon she’d made in her dream world. She stayed pressed to his back, her arms wrapped around his waist, as though afraid he’d disappear like her dreams.

At the station they waited at the platform as the train pulled in. Vision hated this part the most, hated that he had to be the one to turn his back first, but Wanda never told him where she was going next, it was to protect them both.

“We will find a way to that home,” he whispered at her ear as they hugged one last time.

“You really think we could have that?” she asked, voicing the question they both seemed too scared to ask all morning.

“I promise to you,” he said holding her hands tightly between them, “that I will do everything in my power to make that life for us.”

She smiled and leant forward to kiss him one more time.

“Travel safe.”

“And you.”

And Vision was leaving again, not knowing when they’d next be able to meet up, or for how long. At least some of his hopelessness had turned to hope in the last few hours, reignited by the knowledge that she longed for the same life he did. Doubt was always following him, and he’d started to wonder if he’d been overstepping where they were at in their relationship, but he could no longer ignore how right it had felt. They’d find a way to that corner of the universe, one day.


	9. just like you were never gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> track #9: If You Ever Come Back by The Script 
> 
> Wanda and Vision recall an argument that forced them to go their separate ways in the early days of their relationship post-CW. Upon finding out Wanda is near the Compound Vision can't help himself and seeks her out to apologise. 
> 
> (Happy resolution)
> 
> song submitted by a wonderful anon over on Tumblr <3

Wanda had only meant to draw one circle around New Jersey but in her distraction had kept the ballpoint moving in continuous circles so that it was now an unrecognisable big blue scribble.

“Wanda, present please,” Natasha said waving her hand in front of Wanda’s distant eyes.

“Sorry,” she murmured, instead starting to flip the pen nimbly about her fingers.

“As I was saying,” Steve said from where he was braced above the map of the US they had spread out. “We can’t afford any more international travel for a bit, not after Sam was spotted in Venice last week.”

Sam Wilson raised his hands in defence. “Hey, I was actually being very careful, it’s not my fault my fan club spans nations.”

“Regardless, no more international travel,” Steve said looking at them sternly in turn, “Wanda that means you too, no European rendezvous with Vision for the next two months.”

The ballpoint clattered onto the table before them, and Wanda watched it role miserably away. Natasha cleared her throat awkwardly and she could only imagine the looks that she was giving Steve. The pair seemed to be able to communicate most things through very specific glares. Right now, Wanda guessed Nat was giving him a look that said something along the lines of ‘ _shut up why are you bringing her ex into the conversation?’_.

“Uhm,” Steve said slowly, “right yes, no international stuff so all in the US right now. That means we’re going to be moving around a little more frequently to keep out of any states with large security presences.”

“So for now,” Natasha continued on, “that means New Jersey, big things happening in California with old Chitauri tech so we’re staying as far away as possible.”

“We could help,” Wanda spoke up. “That stuff is right up our alley.”

“We can’t help if we’re imprisoned and I doubt they’ll let us out as easily a second time,” Sam pointed out and Steve nodded in agreement.

“I know you want to help,” Nat said putting an assuring hand on Wanda’s arm, “but the most we can do right now is stay far away. We’d be putting the others at risk by being there.”

_The Others,_ code for those ex-teammates they didn’t like to mention despite the fact that they were all still on contact. Nat with Tony, Steve with T’Challa and well, up until a month ago, Wanda with Vision.

“Safe houses have been arranged for all of us, separately, so we don’t draw attention.”

Wanda sighed audibly, she hated the separate placements, hated the loneliness.

“It’ll only be for a few weeks,” Nat assured them as Steve handed out envelopes with their assigned houses, addresses, keys, the lot.

Standing up to get her things ready and make to leave the current safe house, Wanda was stopped by Natasha when she tried to leave the room.

“Wanda,” Nat said, her eyes concerned.

“I already know what you are going to say, and yes I am fine.”

“I don’t believe you though,” Nat said crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows.

“Well, it’s not really my job to convince you,” Wanda said making to sidestep her.

“I’ve seen how you’ve been for the last month, you’re going to burn out at this pace. It couldn’t hurt to slow down and actually think about what happened between you two.”

Wanda shook her head wordlessly.

“I know it’s difficult but there’s no way you can move on if you don’t address it.”

“What if I don’t want to move on?” Wanda asked, frustrated at herself for how easily her accent burst forth.

Nat looked at her sadly, but not with pity, Wanda knew that there was genuine worry behind that gaze. Still, it didn’t make her feel any less crappy. “Look, thinking about it, thinking about _him_ still hurts so I’d just rather not talk about it.”

“You still don’t want me to pass your whereabouts onto him?”

Wanda shook her head and finally succeeded in getting past Nat and into the corridor, where she sped walked to her room and set about gathering her things before she could be coaxed into another ‘let’s all talk about our feelings’ session.

Admittedly there was a part of her that wished Natasha would pass on her location to Vision, even if it was only just to see whether he would actually show up. But Wanda had made Nat promise not to reveal where she was staying in the past month, at least not until Wanda was ready for that. Vision was an addiction she needed to kick, and constantly reminding herself of him or thinking about the chance of a reunion certainly wasn’t going to help. 

“Vision I need you on and concentrating ok? Not away with the fairies,” Tony Stark said from where he stood at the front of the board meeting table.

“Apologies, I am present and involved,” Vision said shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, a mannerism he had picked up recently.

“As I was saying, two days from now we’re heading over West to deal with the Chitauri tech that is now a burning pile of shit thanks to—”

Vision didn’t mean to zone out again, but it was so easy to take a backseat in such conversations when he had the assurance that his brain would keep track of anything important Tony said. Lately he had been wishing that his brain was human, or at the very least that it wouldn’t move so fast so that he might be able to get a bit of peace and quiet.

His thoughts were always on her, Vision just couldn’t help it. At home he was always scouring the internet, dreading the moment he might see her name pop up on news feeds as it had with Sam’s the previous week. When he was away for work there was always a small part of his brain filtering through local security cameras, half hopeful that he would catch a glimpse of her somewhere nearby. She was a constant distraction, and it was becoming one of the many things making him seriously doubt the decision he had made those long weeks earlier. Which was strange because that decision had been a logical, rational answer to their problem, it had been a preventative measure for heartbreak. So why was his heart still hurting?

It had been six months since the events in Germany had divided the team he had come to know as friends. The absence of those who had brought such life to the compound had been noticed immediately. But it was Wanda whose absence he struggled with most, both while she was imprisoned and after Captain Rogers had broken her out.

Vision had gotten by on snippets of information fed to him through Natasha, to Tony and then finally to him. He had a suspicion that Stark had known exactly what he was doing in given that information to him. Sometimes it was mentioning which city their old teammates had been in the previous week, other times it was switching off the old school radio in his office just in time for Vision to hear Natasha’s voice crackling from it. Eventually, Vision had gathered enough pieces of the puzzle that he was able to track which radio frequencies they had been using to communicate with each other. He’d listened long enough to discover where Wanda was going to be next and showed up unannounced, despite the danger, despite the bridges burnt between them and the different paths they were on. But Wanda had welcomed him into her arms without hesitation and it had become clear that their connection was still there, as strong as ever. One thing had led to another and before he knew it, he was making time to travel and see her every few weeks. She usually chose Europe, and he was happy to see the world, if it was with her.

Their last trip hadn’t gone so well. They’d nearly gotten caught because Vision had slipped up on his way out of their rental property one morning, forgetting to glamour himself and letting someone get a photo of him. It had been circulating the internet and local media before Vision could stop the spread. Thankfully, Tony had a press release ready to go for this exact situation and made it clear that Vision was acting strictly within the limits of the Accords. It could have gone a lot worse, but it had also made several things clear to him. Their argument after the incident had been bad, to say the least.

_“Isn’t it better we stop now before it hurts us both?” Vision cried after half an hour spent arguing over who ought to leave the apartment first. The damage was done on his side so if Vision was seen again it wouldn’t matter, but if Wanda was seen in the same city, he could kiss his currently peaceful relationship with the UN goodbye. On the other hand, if anyone decided to look too closely at his whereabouts of the last few days, Wanda would be discovered, and he didn’t know what he would do. The idea of her getting caught and imprisoned again was sickening._

_The argument had got them nowhere. Each was too concerned about the other. He wanted her to leave, regardless of the risk this posed to himself, meanwhile Wanda wanted him to leave before he got caught with her and a target was placed on his back as well._

_In the end the decision had to be made._

_“It already hurts,” she’d yelled back at him, her eyes telling Vision all he needed to know._

_“I cannot keep putting you at risk like this.”_

_“I am not asking you to!” She’d turned her head skyward in frustration. “This is worth it for me. You don’t get to make this decision for both of us!”_

_“I_ am _making this decision,” Vision said his voice thick with emotion, walking backwards to the door, “and I am deciding to leave, before neither of us can.”_

_He’d hovered at the door, coat in hand but she’d already turned away to look out the window, watching rain drizzle dismally outside._

_“Then_ go _.”_

He’d checked hundreds of radio frequencies in the weeks since, but had never caught them again, figuring that the four must have changed communication tactics since. It didn’t stop him from using the burner number that Tony had given him to reach Natasha. He was sure his messages were getting through, but there was never a reply. He supposed he was not really owed anything considering he was the one who had walked out. It didn’t matter that he’d regretted his decision ever since. Wanda didn’t know that he’d missed two trains all because he couldn’t bring himself to take the next, more final step away from her and everything they had been together.

Back in reality Tony had come to the end of his debrief and had ended the call they’d been on with various other officials related to managing the presence of super-humans in the country.

“When are we leaving on Thursday?” Vision asked, a hopeless attempt at pretending he’d been listening properly.

“ _I_ am leaving on Thursday afternoon; you are staying here.”

Vision was stumped. “Why?”

“Because you are in no state to be heading out on a potentially sensitive mission right now, you could barely pull yourself together for a meeting, Vision.”

Tony sighed with such disappointment that Vision regretted being so absent the last few weeks. He’d been sure to be there as much as he could after the team had disbanded, allowing Tony to delegate to him when needed. But this last month he’d let things slide more than he’d realised, Tony looked tired.

“I’d like to disagree with your decision,” Vision began, standing as Tony made to leave the room, “but I cannot help but think you’re right. If I could just have the weekend to reassess my priorities, I would be back to regular working capacity by Monday.”

“And I want to say I believe you,” Tony said leading the way back through the compound. “But you don’t have a good track record with this particular type of distraction.”

Vision hovered by the front door with his head hung in shame. He heard the beeping of Tony unlocking his car and the soft hiss of air as the door opened automatically.

“She’s in New Jersey this week.”

Vision paused on his closing of the front door.

“I thought you should know,” Tony said rubbing at his chin as he paused by the car, “Address is 22 Steel street, don’t get caught.”

Wanda hated how much America reminded her of Vision now. That was why she was thinking about him so much – it was definitely New Jersey’s fault. It was the proximity to the upstate Compound that had her thinking of him so often. It had to be.

They were done, Vision had made that so very clear the last time she had seen him. But it hadn’t stopped her staying another few days at the house they had rented together in some desperate attempt to come to terms with yet another person leaving her life. At least he was still out there, living a life just not with her. 

She pressed her palms into the kitchen bench and took a deep breath. She was halfway through washing up the dishes from the day, but she’d already slipped and broken one glass by accident and was on the verge of giving up. It was frustrating. Wanda could control other people’s minds with ease. She hadn’t had reason to in a while but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel that dormant aspect of her power waiting to be used. So how come she couldn’t manage her own mind? Why was she grieving the loss of someone still alive?

Wanda knew that Steve and Nat had struggled to understand what she had with Vision, and it didn’t help that she herself struggled to put it into words. They hadn’t labelled themselves in the months since they started stealing moments together, it had all been to see if there was something more there. Something worth pursuing. And well, Wanda had thought they were on the same page but evidently, she’d been wrong. She just couldn’t bring herself to believe that those feelings weren’t real. Hope was a pain in the ass. 

And she supposed her alertness these past few days could be owed to him as well. Of course, there was the general haze of fear to consider, the fear that one of these days a SWAT team would arrive at her door to take her back to prison. But on the other side of that coin, she knew there was a fraction of her that was listening out for him. It was painful, knowing he was so close. It didn’t stop her listening out for him, for his soft footsteps, his steady breathing, for the comforting presence of him and the way their minds called out to each other. Even before they’d started meeting like this, he had always been the first one she looked for in a fight, the first person her eyes fell on when she walked in a room, the one person she always wanted to have in her corner.

She paused the absentminded drying of a plate and realised that the imagined footsteps outside weren’t in her head. There was most definitely someone walking up and down the creaky floorboards of the run-down townhouse she’d been assigned to for the two weeks. She’d picked the floorboards out as her first warning if any unwanted guests stopped by the property, probably followed by the breaking of the two locks in the front door.

The closer she listened the more she could hear weight shifting and creaking wood.

Wanda crept through the still unfamiliar house, out of the kitchen and down the dim hallway to the door. As she approached the pacing paused and she distinctly heard a fist rapping on the wooden door three times.

She rose on her toes to peer through the peep hole. A familiar figure was standing on the porch with a head of neat, sandy hair and a carefully pressed blue shirt. Her hand flew to her mouth to hide the exclamation of surprise threatening to come forth. She dropped her hand quickly and stepped back, subconsciously reaching out and letting her magic unlock the door, sending it swinging open.

Wanda didn’t really know what to say as Vision turned around at the sound of the door creaking open. She simply stood there looking at him, fearful that she was imagining things and that he wasn’t really here. She tilted her head in question.

“Mr Stark told me you were here,” Vision said quietly, glancing over his shoulder as though worried someone might be watching them, but the street at his back was deserted. “I’m sorry for just showing up out of the blue.”

Wanda folded her arms, wrapping her cardigan further around herself against the night chill from outside. A deeper cold was spreading through her at the unnatural tension between them, even as she fought the urge to step forward and embrace him. “And why are you here?” She asked instead.

“I made a mistake, and I’d like to fix it.”

“How?”

“I’d like to start by talking, if you wouldn’t mind me coming in?”

Wanda bit her lip hesitantly but knew she couldn’t keep him waiting out on the doorstep. She stepped to the side and nodded for him to come in.

Wanda led him to the kitchen and settled herself opposite the table, so she could lean with the comforting pressure of the kitchen bench at her back.

She watched his eyes flicker about as he entered the space, taking in the washing in the sink, the bread open on the counter and the remains of her supper littered here and there. She suddenly wished she’d finished cleaning quicker. Wanda saw a lot in his gaze, knowing from months of meeting up as a fugitive that he was concerned about how well she was eating on the run. His gaze turned to her next, taking in her clothes, her face, the distinct bags under her eyes and Wanda couldn’t help but soften her stance, unfolding her arms but maintaining the distance she needed.

Vision had dropped his human glamour as soon as he entered the house and she watched as he now stood before her, hardly believing it was real. 

“I will not attempt to make excuses, I owe you more than that,” Vision said after a beat seemingly to collect himself. She was unnerved by his unwavering eye contact but met him head on.

“I was wrong. I thought that putting space between us was the right thing to do but I regretted that as soon as I left you standing there. I have regretted it every day since. I know that I was afraid, afraid of what we might become if I didn’t stop things where they were.” He paused for breath. “It wasn’t until I sat on the train that I realised the idea of living a life without you hurt more than I could bear. Perhaps that makes me selfish, wanting to keep meeting up and putting you at risk. But it is the truth. And if I could change things, if I could go back, I would behave differently.”

Wanda felt her breath loose out over her lips, a quiet sigh of relief.

“I would have told you all this the day after I left if I knew how I might reach you. I’m sorry.”

Wanda swallowed, taking a breath to think about what he had said. There was little to think about, she had forgiven Vision the moment she realised it was him standing on her porch. Learning now that he had tried to reach out for her in the past few weeks, something she hadn’t dared hope, and that she had stubbornly not let him in hurt more than she’d expected it to. They’d both made mistakes.

“As much as I hated being left like that, I understand why you did,” Wanda said earnestly.

“I was a fool,” Vision said shaking his head shamefully.

“That makes two of us.” Wanda smiled softly at him.

“I never could have stayed away,” he admitted, gesturing restlessly with his hands.

“I should have let you in sooner.”

Vision wasn’t often hesitant, but he paused before his next words. “Can you forgive me?” He stepped forward as he spoke.

This movement was all the invitation Wanda needed and she pulled away from the bench as he drew closer. They met each other in the middle, his arms coming around her waist, her hands sliding over his shoulders in a hug. They swayed for a moment, relishing the closeness.

“Forgiven,” she murmured to him, though she was sure the hug said it clearer. “No going back,” she added, considering making a joke about cold feet.

“I can’t help but think this was inevitable,” he said quietly from where his chin was pressed to her shoulder, his breath ruffling her hair. “That no matter the bridges we burnt, or how our paths changed, you were always going to be my future.” She hugged him tighter.

“But we need rules from now on,” Wanda said drawing back a little so she could see his face clearly, “like not getting photographed by tourists.”

“I will never live that down, will I?” Vision groaned but smiled nonetheless.

“Never,” she whispered, scrunching her nose at him affectionately, then growing more serious, “please don’t leave me again.”

“Never,” he promised pressing his forehead to hers in understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try not to do any more break up ones in the future because this made me sad, but with this song I just couldn't not have them make up y'know? Hope it didn't hurt too much.


	10. what will become of us if we dare to dream?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Track #10: Death Stranding by CHVRCHES 
> 
> Wanda and Vision spend the night at a glitzy party for a mission and get jealous when they see each other with other people. Pre-CW
> 
> requested by an anon on Tumblr <3

“Is this all really necessary?” Wanda asked, slipping her usual rings onto her fingers to retain a little bit of her everyday look.

“Of course, it’s necessary,” Nat said past the bobby pins in her mouth as she pinned up the last few strands of Wanda’s hair. “You’re going to the Hamptons; anything less will make you stand out.”

Wanda sighed but turned slightly to the mirror to take in what she was wearing. It was a rare pleasure getting dressed up like this, even if it was for work. She’d worried that she’d grown too recognisable in her year since joining the team but gazing at herself now she doubted anyone would think she was an Avenger. She’d chosen her dress from a selection that had arrived at the compound earlier that week for this specific occasion. Of course, it was no ordinary dress, the boddice was bullet proof and though the skirts appeared normal, dropping from her hips to the floor with several slits at the front and sides, Wanda had been told which button to press that would make the flimsy material snap its Kevlar protectively around her legs. It wasn’t as though she was going to go into this sting operation unprepared.

A soft rap came at the door right as Nat finished pressing pins into Wanda’s scalp.

“We’re ready,” Nat called over her shoulder admiring her work.

Steve stepped in, decked in a charcoal suit, sunglasses pushed up to rest on his hair. “Looking lovely, Wanda,” Steve said raising his hand to tip an imaginary hat to her, “we leave in half an hour.”

“I too, am ready,” Vision said his voice entering the room as he phased through the solid wall to their right.

Wanda raised her eyebrows at his unannounced arrival. “Captain Rogers was standing in the doorway…” Vision began but trailed off when he caught sight of her properly.

Wanda turned in her chair to admire Vision. He was dressed in a white suit with a pale pink and gold tie, holding the matching ivory jacket in one hand.

“Make sure you rehearse your cover stories, we don’t need any careless slip ups tonight,” Steve reminded him as he looked at his watch once more. “Nat and I are going to head to the jet, meet us down there.”

“We are?” Nat asked, as Steve tugged her out of the room without another word, door shutting behind them.

“You look beautiful,” Vision said reaching out to help her up. Wanda rested a hand on his arm and pushed herself to her feet, remarkably steady despite the outrageous heels. She liked the height they gave her but was quite sure her feet wouldn’t be enjoying things by the end of the night. At least they had a thick enough heel that she might be able to run or fight if need be. Hopefully things wouldn’t come to that.

“You look rather dashing yourself,” Wanda replied, giving Vision another once over. She could have sworn that there were silver threads running through the white of his suit, but it could have just been the harsh lighting distorting her gaze. At the compliment Vision’s gaze dropped to the floor, a happy smile about his lips.

“You remember our aliases?” Wanda prompted, walking over to her dressing table where she’d placed the necklace she wanted to complete her look with. She held it out to Vision, turning around so he could help her with the clasp. His hands were cool against the back of her neck as he delicately swept her hair aside. 

“Of course,” Vision replied stepping around to face her once the necklace was fastened, “I am Viktor Walkins and you are my partner Emilia Williams.”

“Exactly,” Wanda said turning for the door and leading him through the compound as she spoke, “Emilia Williams, 26, a post-graduate art student at RISD. My main focus is on the art of human anatomy, body paint, that sort of thing.”

Vision held the front door open for her and she smiled at him as she stepped outside. He continued their cover story. “Which explains my appearance,” he gestured to himself and Wanda watched as he bent the nanotech of his body to his will, “I am one of your models.”

Wanda had been expecting a new look from Vision, he’d been experimenting more with phasing, but nothing this detailed. His complexion remained the same, but little leaves and branches now extended up his neck, dipping below his collar as the same thing happened to his hands. Wanda resisted the urge to reach out and trace her fingers along the delicate gold whirls arcing over his cheeks. He was a piece of art. 

“Colour me impressed,” she said smiling as he led the way to the landing bay. 

Wanda felt out of her depth as soon as they arrived at the front gates to the mansion where the operation was to take place. The mission itself was simple enough, get close to their target, John A. Sterling a young-ish weapons distributor who had been attempting to recreate old Stark weapons, and get him on record saying where the next meeting was to take place. Wanda thought it was strange how public the underground weapons industry was, they certainly relished in having a good party. According to their sources, Sterling always attended things like this to catch new prospective buyers, inviting them to a private party at the end of a month. Wanda and Vision’s job was to either secure an invite themselves, or at the very least catch someone else getting one.

That wasn’t the difficult part, really. She didn’t doubt that with Vision’s help they’d secure the location by the end of the night. No, the real challenge was the party ahead of her.

She leant heavily on Vision’s arm as they walked up the marble stairs and into an actual ballroom. Wanda had only ever seen things like this on TV. The crowd was a swirling mass of glitz and wealth. It resonated with immorality and fraud and it was a good thing Vision took the lead because she felt minutes away from running away from the horror before her.

They walked around the edge of the decadent room, stopping finally at a table of canapes and fading into the background as one of many couples milling about the food.

“I have eyes on him,” Wanda said quietly pretending to straighten the lapel of Vision’s already impeccable suit.

“Take your time getting close,” Steve’s voice crackled in his ear, “we don’t want to scare him off.”

“I’m not scary,” Wanda huffed, grinning at Vision but he was keeping his eyes on the crowd, watching their target dancing. “I’ll just go and dance with him.”

“Go slow, and if you have the opportunity to get close, plant the mic on him,” Steve reminded her before going quiet.

“I think I’d rather you just scare him,” Vision said his eyes narrowing at the figure moving through the crowd. Wanda tilted her head but decided not to question what he meant and instead turned back to the crowd.

“He’s on the move,” she murmured, placing her hand at Vision’s elbow once more and casually starting to move around the room. She followed the example of couples they passed, smiling at those whose eyes were unable to avoid Vision’s glamour, though his appearance was on par with the cosmetics of some guests. 

Sterling had left the floor with his wife and was making his way to the spread of tables and seats at the back of the ballroom. Wanda paused briefly to collect a plate and some canapes so that they might fit in better and then led the way to a table near their target couple.

Vision gave her a look that said he thought they had gotten too close, but she shook her head imperceptibly and sat him down next to her. The tables were mere feet apart, but she had positioned them so that their backs were to the Sterling’s, whilst being close enough to listen in on their conversation.

“… too warm tonight,” she heard Sterling say gruffly.

“John, stop complaining,” came his wife’s short reply.

Wanda pushed the small food about her plate, feeling too on edge to eat. Vision was sitting unnaturally beside her, his head too high as he glanced around suspiciously. 

“You look too nervous,” she whispered, lifting a champagne flute to her lips and pretending to take a sip. She also wasn’t going to let alcohol dull her senses tonight. Vision snapped his eyes to her, and she was shocked to see his demeanour change almost immediately. He sat further back in the chair, smoothly crossing a leg over one knee and leaning closer to her chair, an arm slouched haphazardly at her back.

“Better?” he whispered back, his head now much too close to hers, she felt his warm breath on her neck.

“Yep,” Wanda murmured, this time taking a legitimate drink. 

They remained sat behind the unsuspecting couple until they rose once more to join the crowd milling about the ballroom floor. Wanda’s eyes snapped to Vision’s and she gave him a look someone along the lines of _trust me._ At least she hoped that’s what her face said because he looked shocked as she abruptly stood up, spinning and walking straight into their target.

“Oh my goodness!” She gasped delicately, bringing her hands to her mouth in shock as Sterling was forced to stagger back slightly. Wanda tried not to cringe at the warmness her hand was met with when she patted the man’s shoulder in apology. “I am so sorry.”

All those months working on her American accent with Nat was worth it all for this moment, her intonation was perfect.

Sterling had steadied himself and looked fit to argue until he looked up and saw precisely who had run into him. Wanda gave him her best apologetic smile. “Oh that’s, quite alright.” His hand went absentmindedly to his hair, running a hand through it.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Sterling’s wife piped up, standing up from the table and extending a hand to Wanda.

“Emilia Williams,” Wanda smiled shaking her hand delicately, “I am here in my father’s place.”

“Your father, Williams you say,” Sterling murmured with false understanding as though he were familiar with the man, which was of course impossible considering he was a fictional father.

“Say,” Wanda said turning a hopeful, yet shy, gaze to John Sterling, “I don’t suppose you can dance; my partner doesn’t like dancing.” Vision scowled from where he was still sitting.

“Well as a matter of fact, we were just about to join the floor again.” John looked at his wife for permission, “you don’t mind do you darling?”

“Not at all,” Ms Sterling replied, her gaze on Vision, “I’ll be quite happy sitting here and talking with this fascinating figure, I’m sure.”

To her dismay, Wanda had to take the arm Sterling offered as they made their way out to the dance floor.

“How has your father been?” Sterling asked as they stopped in an open space, Wanda taking one of his hands while the other came to rest at her waist. It amused her that he was still pretending to know the fictional man she had created, but all for networking she supposed.

“Oh he’s doing well, he just wasn’t feeling up to this evening and I was more than happy to come in his stead,” Wanda said sweetly as they starting to dance slowly. “He speaks of you often, always talking about the good work you do.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Sterling said graciously dipping his head, but Wanda knew she’d pressed the right button to direct the conversation where she needed it to go.

The music picked up and the dancing became livelier, and she had to focus on keeping up with her dance partner. Over his shoulder she spotted Vision still stranded with Mrs Sterling, who appeared to have gotten quite touchy in investigating the paint on his body. Vision was in the midst of rolling up his shirt sleeve to the elbow so that she could see more clearly, and Wanda’s heart tightened with irrational jealousy. She mentally reprimanded herself, she had no right to be possessive. Instead, she focused on the task at hand, she needed to get more out of Sterling and the sooner the better judging from the friendliness of his hands.

“Such terrible disasters happening in California this week,” she said in an attempt to make small talk.

“Dreadful,” he replied shortly, and Wanda resisted the urge to step on his toes a few times as his gaze dipped too low.

“I almost wish I had a better way to protect my family, if such things begin happening further north,” Wanda said contemplatively and tried not to bristle at how quickly his eyes snapped up to meet hers. _Now_ he was paying attention.

“It’s important,” he murmured more quietly, “that we can all protect ourselves in these troubling times.”

“My father agrees,” Wanda sighed forlornly, “but alas we don’t really have any good contacts in _that sort_ of industry.”

They were quiet a little longer and Wanda feared she had pressed too far. Regardless, the conversation had made him serious enough that she’d had an opportunity to drop one of her rings, one with a microphone within the gemstone, into his pocket as the dance swapped directions and they traded hands. Mic planted.

“I have special parties each month,” he began slowly, “if you are interested, I could put you and your father on the guest list for July.”

Wanda let herself smile I surprise and excitement. “Really? My father would be so grateful.”

Back among the tables, Vision was trying to figure out why he had grown so irritable all of a sudden. It was really interfering with the flattery he was currently delivering to Mrs Sterling whilst Wanda was busy out on the floor with their weapons distributor. He kept one eye on the spinning couple, growing frustrated at how easily the man was touching her. 

“Gosh this paint is just divine,” Mrs Sterling said, fawning over his glamoured skin, “she is quite remarkable.”

“I know,” Vision said not thinking as the words left his mouth and the tenderness that went along with them.

Mrs Sterling smiled wryly at him. “Don’t give up yet. A nice man like you? She’s sure to fall eventually.”

“Pardon?” Vision choked out, wondering what on earth had given the woman the impression that he and Wanda were anything more than platonic.

“Oh you know what I mean,” she waved a hand and laughed lightly, “shall we go rescue her from my husband?”

Vision looked at the woman with new appreciation and offered his hand to help her to his feet. “You know, I think you’re right, I am suddenly in the mood to dance.”

“That’s the right attitude,” she said patting his arm affectionately as he led her onto the dance floor.

“John,” Mrs Sterling called out, waving a hand as he and Wanda spun past, “give this young man a chance, will you?”

It seemed they were too far away to hear, and John was decidedly preoccupied by his dance partner. Vision caught Wanda’s eyes and she tilted her chin down slightly. It was done.

“Thank you for your charming conversation,” Vision said patting the back of Mrs Sterling’s hand at his arm, “but I had best get to her.”

Vision arrived just in time to see Wanda spin in time with other dancers and reached out a hand to catch hers before she could spin back into Sterling’s grasp.

“Oh,” she said softly, as his hand came to rest at her back, steadying her.

“You’ll have to excuse me, Mr Sterling,” Wanda said apologetically, “it seems my partner is finally ready to dance, it was lovely chatting with you.”

Mrs Sterling was at his arm in a moment, coaxing her husband away from the dance floor.

“I’m glad _that_ is done,” Wanda sighed, turning towards Vision once the other couple was out of sight. “Mic planted, and hopefully Cap will get news of a personal invitation for Emilia Williams by the end of the night.”

“Excellent work,” Vision said taking her hands and putting them on his shoulders.

“What are you doing?” Wanda asked slowly, but she didn’t pull away.

“It would look suspicious if we left now,” Vision said, “so I am dancing.”

“I didn’t know you could dance.”

“While Natasha gave you your lessons, Steve gave me mine.”

“Huh,” Wanda murmured in surprise but stepped into the music with him, their feet moving in synchronicity, taking them around the other pairs about the floor.

It was different, being with her like this. But Vision enjoyed the closeness. In the past they had been physically affectionate without thinking about it but Vision was becoming more conscious of exactly how often they reached for each other, and what was worse, he was beginning to question his own reasons behind it. He rarely thought of ignorance as something good but there was a nagging feeling to this situation, an apprehension that if he examined the emotions he felt around Wanda there would be no going back.

Steve’s voice crackled to life in Vision’s head, “good job you two, get out when you can.”

“Sure thing,” Wanda murmured but made no move to leave the dance floor. When she saw Vision’s questioning gaze she smiled. “You wanted to dance right? It would be a shame the let those lessons go to waste.”

“Yes, it would be a shame,” he said absentmindedly, overly conscious of her hand resting at the nape of his neck.

“You seemed to be getting on well with Mrs Sterling,” Wanda said, her gaze a little distant as she looked determinedly over his shoulder.

“No more than was necessary,” Vision replied and then felt a little silly for saying it in such an assuring way, what did Wanda care if he had been friendly with their target? After all, it wasn’t as though she had done anything different. “You didn’t seem in a hurry to get away from Sterling.”

Wanda huffed in frustration and Vision felt bad for pushing further.

“It was part of the job,” she explained through her teeth trying to keep a smile on as they danced past chattering bystanders, “at least I wasn’t rolling my sleeves up and showing off my muscles.”

Vision actually sputtered. “That is _not_ what I was doing.”

“Could have fooled me,” Wanda shrugged smiling pleasantly, but her refusal to look at him showed more.

He sighed wishing he hadn’t teased her or gotten onto this line of conversation. “I did not want for us to argue.”

“And what did you want?” Wanda said, her voice a dare asking for the truth, her eyes a constant on his and Vision resisted the urge to look away, maintaining her steel gaze.

“I want to be honest,” he said quietly and when Wanda didn’t prompt him, he continued speaking. “I’m afraid of saying something that might change things between us.”

 _Us._ The word hung between them as an unspoken truth. They hadn’t acknowledged the possibility that they were becoming something other than Vision and Wanda, that perhaps there was a third alternative where they were something more.

“I’d rather honesty, even if it changes things.”

“As silly as it sounds,” he began hesitantly, “I was jealous, seeing you dancing out here without me. It irritated me that I had been shrugged off in favour of that man, even if it was for the mission.”

Wanda smiled and raised a hand to his cheek, his skin warmed as she brushed her palm over the intricate gold ‘paint’ still on his face. “It was not a choice I was making, but if I’d had to choose you could have no doubt it would be you.”

Vision resisted the urge to close his eyes and lean into her palm, trying to focus on the understanding in her gaze. “I was jealous too, watching you with her.”

“That has to mean something doesn’t it,” Vision said, his voice barely above a whisper as Wanda moved imperceptibly closer, his hand moved comfortably around her back as they slowed to a stop.

“It does,” she smiled and nodded, and Vision felt a wave of relief emanating out of him that they were on the same page. “The truth is out in the open now I suppose, no going back.”

“I think I’d rather look forward,” he said and slowly pulled them towards the outskirts of the ballroom and to a stop. Wanda’s cheeks were pink from the dancing and her eyes were light as she turned to him.

“So, we’ll just see what happens?”

“I’d like that,” Vision said keeping a tight grip on her hand, reluctant to let her go just yet. They went to leave the ballroom and once out in the night air he shrugged his suit jacket off and let it rest around Wanda’s shoulders. With one arm around her waist and the other holding her hand they left the faux cheer of the ballroom behind. The evening had been an adventure and a step out of his comfort zone, but Vision was as eager as Wanda was for home, to be back in the space they both knew so well and to relish in the step they had taken, to dream of all that was to come and all that they might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah a little bit of jealous Scarlet Vision today, I enjoyed experimenting with their feelings very early on. I hope you enjoy and that it was a bit of a break from the angsty recent parts.
> 
> Am I mildly obsessed with the idea of dancing but with yearning and romantic tension? Absolutely. Will I create every opportunity for them to have such scenes in future fics – of course 
> 
> Still accepting song requests over on Tumblr (visionsofus) 
> 
> have a lovely morning, afternoon, evening <3


	11. the only one for me is you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> track #11: Happy Together by The Turtles 
> 
> In which Wanda and Vision try to deliver on a promise to cook breakfast for the rest of the team but end up goofing off together instead. 
> 
> (1500 words of pure fluff, you've been warned) 
> 
> Requested in the comments a few chapters ago ~

Wanda regretted the late night as soon as light began to creep in through her windows. On second thoughts, she probably regretted not putting the blinds down more. With a huff and not bothering to peel her eyes open, she raised her hand and focused on the blinds, envisioning them sliding down and let her magic do the rest of the work. Regardless, the damage had been done, she was awake at dawn on a glorious Sunday morning that would have been perfect for a lie in.

Of course, the best thing that came with waking up this particular morning was the sleeping figure beside her. They’d fallen asleep facing each other but in the night Wanda’s usual tossing and turning had tangled the bed sheets up between their legs and had even sent one blanket banished to the floor in favour of Vision’s more reliable warmth. Sleep had been challenging for Wanda in her first few months at the compound but over the last two years she had grown used to the silence of the space she now called home. But she never slept quite as well as she did when Vision was beside her.

She blinked blearily at his sleeping form, his face coming into view a little clearer now that she was properly awake. He must have heard her shifting about beneath the covers as his eyes returned her gaze, their clear blue shifting a little as he came to terms with the new dimness of the room, the traitorous sun blocked by her bedroom’s blinds. Their sleeping arrangement had become less and less separate since they started dating two months earlier. But even before that Vision had spent a number of nights at Wanda’s side, often seeing her through nightmares or those restless nights when the shadows of her past grew too long in her mind. It was nice to not need a reason to have him at her side these days, he just _was._

Vision smiled at her and shuffled closer to kiss her forehead. Wanda slid her arms around him and tugged herself closer, sighing in contentment. They remained quiet, breathing each other in in the early morning quiet of the compound. Wanda wished they could have a few more weekends like this before getting back to work, it had become their only chance to be near each other recently, what with Steve convinced their newly romantic status would interfere in missions. And well, Wanda didn’t really disagree – Vision was a _terrific_ distraction.

“I’m usually an early riser,” Wanda mumbled into his shoulder, “but you make it hard to leave bed.”

“And I don’t like this much sleep,” Vision said back trailing his fingers up and down her back absentmindedly, “but I always rest well next to you.”

Wanda laughed as Vision sat up suddenly, pressing a couple of kisses to her cheek and trying to pull her up with him. “Come on, darling, up and at ‘em.”

“5 more minutes,” Wanda groaned, turning over and pulling the pillow over her head.

“Nope, you promised we’d cook a big breakfast for everyone before the meeting this morning!”

Wanda sighed but managed to sit up, her hair falling about her face. “Fine, pull me up.”

In the kitchen Wanda waited on one of the stools next to the kitchen island as Vision set about making her a cup of coffee. When it was ready, he set the steaming mug in front of her along with the milk jug. Wanda added enough milk to make the coffee palatable, she still wasn’t quite sold on the bitter taste but had grown too accustomed the morning boost it gave her. She took a long sip and sighed blissfully.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Vision said putting his hands on his hips and surveying the empty workspace before them. Wanda hopped down from the stool and brought her coffee into the kitchen to join him.

“Eggs, bacon, onions, tomatoes—” Wanda continued listing off food as Vision turned to the refrigerator and gathered everything they needed. “Alright, English breakfast for like eight people should be easy enough, right?” She winced as Vision set out the 24 pack of eggs next to the stove and hoped that it would be enough, Steve and Bucky could easily mow through half a dozen each.

Wanda was careful to tie her hair back and pull her sleeves up. Well technically they weren’t really her sleeves, she was wearing Vision’s blue cable knit sweater he’d worn the night before and left in her room. Her arms were swimming in it and she had to roll the sleeves three times over just to have her hands free.

As Vision collected plates and cutlery to set their 12 seated table in the dining room Wanda set about preparing the breakfast, glad that her magic could supplement what would have been an hour-long activity. She was able to stir scrambled eggs with one hand whilst using the other to direct the empty eggshells into the bin or put more bread in the toaster.

When he was finished at the table Vision returned to her side and took up a spot at her elbow to slice onions and halve tomatoes to fry. They were a good team and worked in cohesion, barely having to prompt the other for something before it was already done. At one point Wanda even looked around for the salt only for Vision to already be holding it out to her. It had always been easy with him, and their connection was only growing stronger as time went by.

Wanda had switched the radio on, or the Bluetooth speaker they had on the counter that also connected to FM and AM frequencies, and had scrubbed through until she found a decent sounding radio station for a Sunday morning. After cycling through the _Beatles_ and an old _Grass Roots_ song the station came to _The Turtles_ and Wanda couldn’t help but smile, it was impossible to not grin when ‘Happy Together’ was playing. She was sure the song would serve as a pleasant wake up call for the rest of the team as Vision went over to turn it up.

“I like this song,” he said as he did so, swaying back and forth in time with the rhythm.

Wanda smiled as he came back over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, coming to rest at her back standing just tall enough to rest his chin atop her head. They swayed back and forth to the music as Wanda stirred the eggs and waved a hand to magic the mountain of toast they needed to the table.

“Is there anything I can do, darling?” Vision asked and she couldn’t help but grin at the casual affection of the pet name.

“You’re perfect right where you are,” Wanda said tilting her head back to press a kiss to his cheek.

As she finished off the eggs and loaded them into a serving dish along with the fried tomatoes and onions the song started to pick up its happy beat once more, making it hard to not dance along. Vision was the first to cave to its catchy beat letting go of her and snapping his fingers and dancing in time with the music. Wanda dissolved into peals of laughter at his goofy moves but took the hand he offered, and they started to swing each other around the kitchen in an exaggerated version of what might have been a waltz.

“ _Me and you, and you and me,”_

Vision spun Wanda around and dipped her graciously as the song rose to its chorus.

“ _No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be.”_

They were so caught up in each other that they didn’t notice another pair had joined them in the kitchen. Sam had even ventured unnoticed to get himself a cup of coffee before ducking out of their way once more. He leant against the wall, nursing the drink to cure the early morning wakeup call the radio had been as it blasted throughout the compound. Evidently, Wanda and Vision hadn’t realised that all the speakers had been connected from the previous night so when one was turned on, the entire compound got to listen in to _The Turtles._ Beside him was Bucky Barnes his arms folded, and his brow furrowed in disbelief at the odd pair before him.

“Look at these two, its 8 am for Christ’s sake,” Sam murmured disapprovingly into his coffee. He sure hadn’t appreciated the impromptu alarm, but damn was it good to see Wanda smiling as she was.

Bucky opened his mouth to speak, paused and looked at Sam and then back at Wanda and Vision. “Are they dating?”

Sam nearly spat his coffee out. “I can’t believe you were a spy, you legitimately suck at reading people.”

“Not it’s a serious question, are they?” Bucky asked trailing after Sam who made to escape to the dining room as the radio launched into yet another chorus of _me and yous._

By the time the rest of the team made it upstairs to the dining room Wanda was laughing so hard there were tears coming out of her eyes and both had entirely forgotten their pledge to make breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope that wasn't too sweet haha. 
> 
> Yes I uploaded twice today but it's a Saturday and I needed the good vibes of soft domestic scarlet vision.


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